


A Commander Without an Army

by A_Big_Old_Skeleton



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Am I going to regret this, But it might be a fun ride until I crash and burn, F/F, I'm going to regret this, I'm making no promises that this gets finished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:25:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 69,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17512811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Big_Old_Skeleton/pseuds/A_Big_Old_Skeleton
Summary: Grievously wounded, Catra is left to figure out what the hell happened, where she's going to go next, and who, if anyone, she's going to fight for now.





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Oh lord what have I done now

Catra’s consciousness came in flashes, disorienting in their irregularity. The sounds of battle, and a glimpse of burning wreckage… a Horde tank, maybe? A faint screaming in a voice that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Darkness. Being scooped up by chitinous arms (Scorpia, her mind sluggishly reminded her). A crisp sky, next to a black cloud on her left that she couldn’t see through. Her arm felt like it was on fire, and her face… something was in her face. Darkness, again. She couldn’t see anything. Someone was pinning her down, while someone else did something to her arm. She screamed, a ragged, broken cry. There was a sharp pain in her neck, then blessed unconsciousness. A broken roof. Someone paced back and forth just out of sight, arguing with someone else, but her brain couldn’t seem to understand the words. Her vision seemed wrong, but she couldn’t figure out why. She tried to move, but her limbs wouldn’t respond. The arguing stopped, and a rapid set of steps approached her bed. A welding mask with red eyes peered down at her, looked to the side, and gave what she assumed was instructions. A rush of warmth flooded her system, and she fell into unconsciousness once more.

She woke up with a burning thirst and a fever that seemed to threaten to burn herself alive. There was the faint whirr of machinery nearby, and the sound of rain outside. Her voice was rough with disuse, but she managed to croak out a faint, “water.” Then, because nobody seemed to respond, she attempted to raise her voice a little and repeat herself. 

“Subject appears to be awake,” came a familiar voice from somewhere out of sight, “and thirsty. Intravenous fluid supply is clearly not a substitute for drinking water. Possibly psychosomatic element to the act of drinking? Further investigation required.”

“Entrapta?” 

“Subject recognizes me! Cognitive functions may have escaped major damage!”

There was the sound of a door slamming open, and the unmistakable voice of Scorpia. “Commander! You’re awake!”

“And thirsty!” Entrapta added.

“And thirsty!” Scorpia agreed, and then hastily added, “I’ll get you water right away, commander!”

A few minutes later and Scorpia loomed over her, with a water bottle held gently in her claw. Catra tried to sit up, but found that she couldn’t. Scorpia’s other claw gently helped Catra into a sitting position, and she drank greedily.

“Small sips, Commander. You’ve been out of it for a while now.”

“Four weeks!” Chirped Entrapta cheerily. “We were arguing about whether or not to move you before you regained consciousness a few days ago.”

Catra looked over to her left, but something was still blocking her vision. “What… happened?”

“Do you not remember?” Entrapta asked. When Catra shook her head, Entrapta spoke into her recorder again. “Update: subject may have suffered some loss of memory due to overwhelming trauma.”

Scorpia looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Er, well… there was an… accident.”

“Accident?” Catra echoed. Confused.

“Well,” Entrapta cut in, “Friendly fire scenarios are usually accidental, but my theory-” 

“No need to go into that now,” Scorpia interrupted hastily, “A shot hit your tank and the whole thing went up. You’re lucky to be alive.”

Catra took a moment to process this. “How bad was it?”

Scorpia looked uncomfortable again, and looked over to, Catra assumed, Entrapta with a pleading look. Entrapta popped into view with her hands behind her back, looking, Catra thought, like she was making a special effort to appear clinical. 

“The brunt of the blast hit your left side - that’s the direction the shot came from, I assume. I was able to dig most of the shrapnel out of you without much trouble, but there’s a few shards that were too close to vital organs to safely remove without better facilities which, for obvious reasons, we don’t have right now.” Here she gestured around the room, and Catra noticed the whirr of machinery she’d heard had been a few scavenged monitors which had wires leading to her chest and head - presumably tracking her vitals. Something else nagged at her, then, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“You also took some significant damage to your skull,” Entrapta continued, looking apologetic. “I tried to save the eye, but…” 

Catra felt her stomach churn unpleasantly. “The eye?”

“I’m afraid you’ve lost it.” Entrapta said, and seemed unsure how to continue for a moment. “Apart from some additional trauma caused by the explosion - the short-term memory loss, some cuts, and so on - your head was well protected. That’s because you had the presence of mind to throw your hand up and shield yourself. But… you might want to look down, now.”

Catra looked down to where her right hand rested on the sheet. A needle stuck out of her hand, running to, she assumed, the aforementioned intravenous fluids. She looked left, where she could feel her left hand, but what she saw was her arm, terminating a few inches above the  wrist. 

Entrapta’s voice grew fainter. “Your arm and hand took the brunt of the explosion. I saved as much as I could, and I’ve been designing a replacement, but it’ll take some time.”

Catra, not for the last time, leaned over the side of her bed and vomited.

“Ohh, yeah,” Scorpia said to no-one in particular, “That’s all water.”

If Entrapta had a response, Catra didn’t hear it. Darkness swept over her again, and she fell back into unconsciousness. Her last thought, as her thoughts fled, was whether or not Adora knew what had happened.


	2. What's Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora searches for some kind of answer on the battlefield. She's not happy with what she finds.

“Where’s Catra?” She-Ra shouted, amidst the tumult of battle. There was a dull thwump as a Horde-launched shell detonated in front of her, and she raised the shield to deflect the force of the blast, protecting herself and Glimmer. 

“Maybe she’s sitting this one out?” Glimmer shouted back, conjuring a few sparkling bombs and flinging them into the sides of yet another Horde tank, which sparked, was quickly abandoned by its crew, and exploded spectacularly.

She-Ra shook her head, frowning. “It’s not like her to sit one out. She’s got to be planning something.”

The Horde army had rolled one of its larger mechanized divisions directly into a small village just beyond the borders of the Fright Zone. It was transparently a feint to draw the Rebellion out, but Adora wouldn’t hear of leaving the villagers to their fate. Queen Angella had been firm that the resources of the Rebellion were stretched far too thin as it was to be falling into traps, but Glimmer had fired back that only the Horde would leave civilians to die in order to gain a tactical advantage. In the end, Angella acquiesced to sending a small detachment made of volunteers to provide enough time for the village to evacuate - but, she stressed, their orders were to  _ delay, _ not to save the village.

“Adora! Bigger tank!” Bow shouted, pointing off in the distance. Another thumping explosion rocked the ground, and Adora heard the cries of the wounded. 

She looked over to Glimmer with a look of determination. “That’s got to be her. Go make sure the evacuation is proceeding as planned - teleport the wounded out of here, if you can. If I can take that tank out, Catra will sound a retreat.”

“How do you know?” Bow broke in, loosing an arrow into a Horde drone.

“Because if this is a feint, there’s no sense in spending more resources than is necessary. Losing a command tank is too big of a loss for an operation of this size, and Catra will have to pull out in the hopes that it’ll save enough to offset the loss. Otherwise she risks Hordak’s wrath, and… you don’t want that.” She-Ra shuddered involuntarily. “Now get moving! Take out as many drones as you can, and I’ll handle the-”

She never got the chance to finish her sentence, as a shot slammed into the side of the command tank with such force that it spun around, a gaping hole in its side. She-Ra barely had time to register a glimpse of someone scrambling out of the wreckage before the entire thing exploded, sending out a shockwave that nearly knocked her flat. Bringing a hand up to shield her eyes, she began moving toward the wreckage almost without thinking anything beyond  _ Catra’s in there _ , but then a shout from Bow warned her of another group of Horde soldiers who’d broken through the Rebellion’s defensive line, and she was off to fight them. Then, finally, whoever was leading the Horde attack in lieu of Catra seemed to decide they’d had enough, and sounded the retreat.

The surviving soldiers cheered, and She-Ra found herself surrounded, being clapped on the back and thanked. She demurred, and accepted the praise heaped upon her somewhat reluctantly, and could not stop herself from constantly looking over at the wreckage of Catra’s tank, which was still smouldering. 

“Ha! Give ground my ass!” Glimmer cheered. “My mom’s gonna  _ flip _ when she - Adora?”

Adora, having dropped her She-Ra form, was now walking with an air of purpose through the wreckage of the battlefield. “We should look for survivors,” she called back over her shoulder. “There… there might be survivors.”

Glimmer looked like she was about to argue, but Bow put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Adora’s right,” he said, and then raising his voice, added, “If you find any wounded Horde soldiers, call for a medic. We don’t leave anyone behind, got it?”

The celebrating soldiers looked more than a little nonplussed, but a few seemed to think it was a worthwhile cause and began the hunt. Adora had only one destination in mind, but she kept pausing as she spotted another Horde soldier she’d seen in passing, or exchanged a few words with at one time or another. When she spotted one soldier breathing shallowly, she sprinted over as quickly as she could.

“Hey, hang in there, okay? We’re going to help you.”

The soldier was not someone Adora recognized. His face was drawn tight with pain, and his hands both clutched feebly at a gruesome wound in his stomach. He seemed to be having trouble focusing, but he managed to cough out a plaintive “help me.” 

Adora dropped to her knees and immediately began applying pressure to the wound, the first aid training she’d had drilled into her as a Horde cadet coming back quickly. She looked back over her shoulder and shouted “Medic! I’ve found someone!” before turning back to the soldier and putting on a more gentle expression. “I need you to stay awake for me, okay? What’s your name?” 

“F-Finch. Private Finch, 3rd mechanized division.” The soldier’s eyes flitted up to Adora’s face and there was a flash of recognition. “You’re  _ her _ . You’re… you’re the Great Betrayer.”

Adora was taken aback, but quickly recovered. “Nevermind who I am. Tell me about yourself, Finch.”

Finch did not seem interested in talking about himself. “They said you were merciless. T-that you killed thousands of Horde soldiers.” He took another painful breath. “S-said you’re a monster.”

“Well I don’t know a monster would be trying to save your life right now,” Adora said, a little more acidly than she perhaps meant to, “and at any rate, it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is you staying alive, okay? You can tell me what else they say about me, if that helps.”

“Why? W-why did they leave me here?” Finch’s voice carried a note of panic.

“I’m sure…” Adora said, trailing off because she knew exactly why and didn’t want to say, “the retreat wasn’t well organized. Your commander’s tank got destroyed early on, remember?”

This seemed like the wrong thing to say, as Finch only grew more agitated. “C-commander Catra’s dead?”

Adora hurried to reassure him, to try to calm him down. “I don't know. I haven't seen her body, so there's a chance she's still out there.” With an almost wistful grin, she added, “She's probably too stubborn to die.”

Finch reached up and grabbed at Adora's shirt, trying to pull himself up. “She’s got to still be alive. Sh-she takes care of the soldiers. Keeps us… keeps us from getting sent on suicide missions like Shadow Weaver used to plan. P-please, you have to find her!” So great was his agitation that Adora had to hold him down to keep him from making his wound worse. 

“If she’s alive, Private, I promise I’ll find her.” Adora said, “Right now, though, we’ve got to keep  _ you _ alive, okay?”

“Sh-she was going to save us,” Finch muttered, half to himself, “that’s what they said. Stop the war and forge a truce with the Rebellion. Break the cycle…” His breathing slowed, then stopped.

“Hey! Private! Private, I need you to breathe, okay? I need you to -” Adora fumbled, seeking a pulse, then looked into his eyes, which were already empty. She pounded his chest a little, trying to get his heart to start again, but it stubbornly refused to do so. “No no no, I can fix this, I can save you, just… I didn’t want this, I have to… the medics will be here and you’ll be fine, you’ll see, hey, you’ll…” her voice trailed off into a shuddering sob, which she quickly swallowed as the sound of an approaching medic grew louder. Taking a deep breath, she stood and wiped her bloody hands uselessly on her trousers. 

“Princess! Where’s the-”

“He uh, he didn’t make it.” Adora said, mastering herself. “I’m going to keep looking for survivors. Follow me.”

The two medics fell into step behind Adora as she continued her grim search. As Adora drew closer to the wreck of the command tank, she felt her pace slowing, as if she thought not seeing Catra’s body would somehow mean she was still alive. She didn’t want to know if Catra was dead. Not really. The two medics slowed pace with her, assuming that she was merely being thorough in her search. There were no other signs of life, just bodies - some blackened and twisted. Adora fought a raging tide of nausea to look closer for something that could have been Catra’s - the helm she always wore, for a start - but didn’t see anything. The wreckage of the tank was impressive to behold. 

The force of the explosion had blasted the side of the tank outwards, and the corpses of the tank crew were slumped in place. Adora peered curiously at the controls, which were completely unfamiliar. With a start, she realized they resembled First Ones technology, which should have been impossible. The Horde had been trying for centuries to integrate First Ones technology into their weapons, and this? This was genuinely troubling. For a moment, Adora almost forgot her grim errand, but a muttered swear from one of the medics brought her back to reality. 

She approached the bodies of the crew, and breathed a sigh of relief. Catra wasn’t here. Which meant, maybe, that Catra had survived, somehow. She tried not to think about why she was so relieved to discover that her nemesis was still alive, but then again Adora was at least honest with herself when it came to Catra. There was a flash as Glimmer appeared next to the tank, looked inside, and blanched. 

“ _ Goddess _ , this is awful. I’ve never…” there was a pause where the princess retched noisily outside. Adora finished her investigation of the tank’s interior and stepped back outside. Glimmer looked at her with an expression of shock and disgust. “I’ve never seen the aftermath of a battle like this before. Princesses are meant to… you know, command. We don’t stick around once the battle’s over.”

Adora gave Glimmer a look with an unidentifiable emotion churning behind her eyes. “Maybe they should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, there's another chapter, just like I promised. Unfortunately for y'all, it was a flash back! But it's an important one that I wanted to do now rather than later. We'll get back to Catra (and the present) next chapter.
> 
> Also now it should be clear this is a multi-part deal, since I fucked up the initial posting of this and forgot to mark it as such from the get-go.


	3. An Escape, and a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra tries to find out what's going on, but is interrupted by people trying to kill her.
> 
> Rude.

When Catra woke up again, it took a moment for the reality of her situation to set back in again. This time, she was ready for the shock when she looked down at her arm. Her right hand cautiously approached it, and she couldn’t help but flinch as she touched the spot where her hand had been. Scorpia appeared, having been sleeping somewhere nearby, Catra guessed, with another glass of water and an apologetic look on her face.

“Here you go, Commander. Sip it slow, now. You don’t want a repeat of last time.” There was a gentleness to Scorpia’s voice which almost, but not quite, managed to cover the fact her voice was shaking.

Catra sipped slowly, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she could still feel her left hand. Scorpia watched her carefully, ready to step in and help if needed. Eventually, Catra placed the glass to the side and gave Scorpia a reassuring squeeze with her good hand. “It’ll be okay, Scorpia. We’ll get back to the Fright Zone.” Even as she said it, Catra wasn’t sure she meant it. 

Judging by Scorpia’s expression, it hadn’t been what she wanted to hear anyway. She stood up quickly, saying something about needing to check the perimeter. Catra huffed in frustration and ran her hand over her face, feeling the bandages that covered her ruined eye and what felt like stitches criss-crossing her left side. She’d been lucky, Catra thought. If she’d been a second slower, or Scorpia hadn’t been nearby, there was no way she would have survived. If Entrapta… she frowned. What had Entrapta been doing near the battlefield? The Horde barely tolerated Catra’s refusal to lock Entrapta up, but Hordak had been very clear on one thing: Entrapta was not to leave her workshop. Ever.

As if summoned by Catra’s train of thought, Entrapta wandered into the room, and indicated the door behind her with a curious expression. “What’d you say to Scorpia? She seemed distressed when I passed her.”

“Entrapta, what are you doing here?” Catra asked, ignoring the question.

“What? I’m here to evaluate your wounds.” Entrapta seemed confused, and after checking a few of the monitors, turned back to Catra with a satisfied expression. “Okay, let’s have a look under those bandages.” 

She raised a pair of scissors, but Catra’s good hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. “No Entrapta, I mean what are you doing outside of the Fright Zone? For that matter, why haven’t we gotten into touch with central command?” An idea of the reason was forming in her mind, and she didn’t like it.

This question seemed to strike Entrapta as faintly ridiculous, or at the very least unnecessary. “What do you mean? I had to flee as soon as I heard you were being removed.”

The uncomfortable feeling in Catra’s gut blossomed into something far more unpleasant, and she felt her heartbeat slow as she processed the news. “Removed, huh? So Scorpia’s ‘friendly fire’ comment…”

“She didn’t want to give you any kind of a big shock just after you woke up,” Entrapta said, shrugging with her hair, “which was probably the right idea.” There was a flicker of something like embarrassment on Entrapta’s face. “ I’m not always great at judging that sort of thing. She’s been helping me with that.”

Catra felt anger begin to blossom in her chest. “So you chose to lie to me.” Her hand formed a fist.

Entrapta didn’t seem particularly flustered by Catra’s reaction. “Yes, we did. You nearly  _ died _ , Commander. I won’t apologize for caution in a delicate situation.”

Catra opened her mouth to say something suitably cutting in response, but was interrupted by Scorpia dashing into the room. “They’ve found us! We’ve got to move.”

Entrapta swore in a very un-Entrapta-like fashion and produced a syringe. With a movement that was so fast it caught Catra completely off-guard, she jabbed it into her neck. “Sorry Commander, but we need you on your feet for this.” 

There was a spreading warmth in Catra’s veins, and she felt her limbs flex in response. “The hell did you just inject me with?”

“Experimental cocktail of… look, it’s probably fine. I think. It’ll make it easier for you to keep up.” Entrapta waved a hand dismissively, then seemed to reconsider after a stern look from Scorpia. “Er, that is, I can tell you about it later, when we’re not about to die?” She looked over to Scorpia and received an approving nod in response.

Catra levered herself out of bed and reached to pull the IV out of her hand until she remembered she didn’t have a hand anymore. She yanked it out with her teeth instead. For a few seconds, she stood, trying to decide if she was going to vomit or not. The nausea passed, and she nodded to Scorpia and Entrapta, who were watching her closely. 

“Where to?”

Scorpia jerked her head the the direction she’d come from. “We’ve got a skiff out back. If you make it there, the navigation has our fallback location programmed in. Entrapta’s set everything up.”

Something about the way Scorpia spoke rang an alarm bell in Catra’s mind. “What do you mean ‘If I make it there?’ What about you?”

Scorpia shook her head. “You’re the primary objective, Commander. You’re too important.”

“Important for what?” Catra said, frustrated, “I don’t understand!”

Scorpia looked genuinely confused. “Do you really not know?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re…” A cracking sound echoed through the room and Scorpia grimaced. “No time. Entrapta, get her out of here! I’ll catch up!”

Entrapta hesitated, then stepped in close and brought Scorpia’s head down to her height, briefly resting her forehead against hers. Scorpia whispered something that Catra couldn’t quite catch and then, in a louder voice, repeated herself. “Go! I’m right behind you.”

Entrapta hoisted herself up on her hair and held a hand out for Catra. “This way, Commander.”

Catra nodded, having decided for the moment that keeping herself alive took priority over figuring out what the hell was going on. The two darted out the door, leaving Scorpia behind. 

“Here,” Entrapta said, dropping Catra’s hand in order to unclip something from her belt, “You’ll probably want this. You know, in case they… In case you need it.”

Catra took the shock stick in her hand. It felt strange wielding it in one hand, but with whatever Entrapta had injected her with running through her veins, she felt like it would probably not be a problem. Entrapta led her around the perimeter of the building, and Catra finally had a look at where she’d been laying unconscious for the last four weeks. It was the ruins of some village or another - Catra had never seen it before, but from the amount of foliage growing in the ruins she assumed it must have been sacked in a battle years ago. That meant they were fairly deep in Horde territory, but not in the Fright Zone. Apart from the building they’d been staying in, everything else was barely standing. It had been, she realized, an excellent place to hide if you were trying to hide from the Horde. 

There was a shout and the sound of multiple energy discharges behind them. Entrapta very pointedly did not look back, though Catra did. There were no signs of any soldiers in pursuit, which meant that Scorpia was probably still alive, for now. Catra gripped the shock staff harder and concentrated on following Entrapta while keeping a wary ear out for the sound of anyone in pursuit. They stayed low, making their way to the edge of the settlement ruins. Entrapta paused and fiddled with some other device on her belt, and there was a shimmer in front of them, which revealed a Horde skiff waiting for them.

“Never seen a Horde skiff do that.” Catra commented.

“I may have made some slight modifications to this one.” Entrapta admitted, not without a hint of pride in her voice, “I’ll get her warmed up. Get yourself strapped in. There’s a pulse rifle over there - you’ll probably need it.”

“You think Scorpia won’t be able to hold them off?”

There was a very un-Entrapta-like snort of annoyance. “Of course she’ll hold them off. But she’ll hold them off by being taken captive, because that was the plan we agreed on, and I’ve decided the plan was poorly thought out.”

“So instead we’re going to get her.” Catra surmised, grabbing the rifle and quickly giving it a once-over. “Sounds good to me. Heroic sacrifices never quite sat right with me.”

“I know,” Entrapta said, as the engines roared to life, “It’s part of your appeal.”

Whatever response Catra had was forgotten as she felt her stomach plummet into her shoes as the skiff launched itself into the sky, behaving in a very un-skiff-like manner. Entrapta aimed directly for the building they’d been staying in, which Catra could now see was surrounded by a group of Horde shock troops: Hordak’s elite soldiers, including those who served as his honor guard whenever he deigned to travel. Entrapta flipped a few switches and the skiff rolled to its side, causing Catra to yowl in a fairly undignified manner before she realized this gave her an excellent shot at all the soldiers and the yowl became a battlecry that became a whoop of exhilaration. The rifle bucked, and she cursed at her inability to hold it steady without a left hand, but then she used the recoil to walk her line of fire across the group and felt like she’d done okay. 

The soldiers scattered, and Entrapta righted the skiff and brought it swooping in low in front of the building, leaving Catra a clear view of the approach to the entrance. There was a thud behind her and she swore she felt the skiff sink a little, followed by a shouted “Go!” from Scorpia. The skiff leaped into the air like it had been kicked and flung itself across the sky. For a while, Catra sat panting in her seat, feeling the adrenaline slowly exit her system. The only sound, beyond the sound of the skiff’s engines, was the sound of both her and Scorpia breathing heavily and the occasional sound of Entrapta toggling some switch or another.

Eventually, Entrapta unstrapped from the pilot’s chair and walked back. With a methodical care, she began to check Scorpia for injuries, making small noises of disapproval every time she found another cut or crack in the carapace of Scorpia’s claws. Scorpia remained quiet through this, seemingly too tired to form a response. Eventually, Entrapta rested her forehead against Scorpia’s again and smiled. 

“You were supposed to leave me behind.” Scorpia said, a hint of accusation in her voice. “It was the right plan.”

“It was a stupid plan.” Entrapta said, “and this accomplished the same result without your being seriously injured. You may not have noticed, but I am not fond of patching you up.”

“Thank you.” Scorpia said.

“If you’re finished with… whatever it is you’re doing,” Catra said, feeling slightly annoyed and jealous for reasons she didn’t want to think about, “Perhaps you could explain what you meant by my being ‘so important’ you were going to get yourself captured or killed over.”

There was a faint dusting of red on Scorpia’s cheeks, but she recovered quickly. “You’re the Commander, commander. That’s why.”

“If what Entrapta told me before the attack was right, I don’t think I’m the commander of anything anymore.” Catra replied.

“That’s not what I meant,” Scorpia said, frowning a little. “You’re… Look, how long have you been Hordak’s second in command?”

Catra took a moment to think back. “Three years, I think? It was just after the assault on Brightmoon.”

“Right,” Scorpia said, nodding. “And in those three years, how many casualties have we had?”

Catra grimaced. “3,589 dead, 38,093 wounded. Most of the wounded returned to active service within six weeks.”

“Shadow Weaver could never answer that question,” Scorpia said, simply, “and I guarantee the numbers were a lot higher. Next question: how many of the battles fought by the Horde since you became commander have you not been present for?”

“I don’t know, ten? Twenty, maybe? I’ve been injured from time to time.” 

“Exactly. You’re out there fighting with the soldiers - and not just leading from behind either. You’re a demon on the battlefield, to hear the rank and file tell it.”

“You mean to hear  _ you _ tell it.” Entrapta cut in, causing an embarrassed look to cross Scorpia’s face.

“I mean, you’re pretty good at fighting, Commander. The fact that you’ve gone toe to toe with She-Ra so many times and survived alone is worth commenting on.”

Catra snorted. “Adora always pulls her punches with me. She holds on to… what we used to be.”

“It’s made you a legend of the battlefield,” Scorpia said, shrugging, “and it’s made a lot of the rank and file more loyal to you than they are to Hordak.”

“So Hordak decided to get rid of me before I became a problem.” Catra leaned back and looked up into the sky with a sigh. 

“Not just that,” Entrapta said, cutting in, “he figured having you as a martyr would make it even easier to control the troops - killed in service to Hordak, to whom you were always unfailingly loyal.”

“But that all falls apart if I don’t die like I’m supposed to, so now there’s elite Horde soldiers hunting me. Great.” Catra ran her hand over her still-healing face and tried not to scream with frustration. “So what do we do now?”

“What happens next? Well, that’s up to you.” Scorpia said, nodding in Catra’s direction. 

“Scorpia and I started establishing a base of operations on an island off the coast of Scorpion Hill as soon as we had you stabilized.” Entrapta broke in again, rolling her eyes at Scorpia’s dramatic statement. “It’s defensible, it’s hidden, and we’ve already got a skeleton crew of volunteers working to fortify the place.”

“Skeleton crew? You mean you’re not the only ones who know I’m still alive?”

“Not quite.” Scorpia looked embarrassed again before continuing. “Hordak’s plan didn’t go quite as he planned, and in the aftermath a lot of soldiers who were at the battle and saw your tank go up started thinking you’d been set up. I helped them desert with the promise that we’d get revenge on Hordak for betraying you.”

“Why not join the Rebellion, then?” Catra asked, curious.

“Somehow,” Entrapta said, with a smirk that might have been sarcastic, “the soldiers seem to think the Rebellion might not be eager to take on a bunch of Horde operatives with no magic swords or kingdoms.”

“So instead they’re what, building a leaderless army with no kingdom to fight for?”

“Leaderless?” Scorpia shook her head. “No, not leaderless. You, Commander, would lead. That’s their hope. That’s all they want. Just to serve under you, and take vengeance on those who wronged us.”

“Vengeance, huh?” Catra looked at the stump terminating her left arm through her one remaining eye, thought back to the screams and fire erupting in the cabin of the command tank, and the feeling of the explosion throwing her across the battlefield, leaving her a broken thing. She thought of fighting loyally for the Horde, taking missions and never questioning what they were doing or why. She thought of burned out, ruined villages which had served no tactical purpose but had been destroyed all the same. She thought about Adora, and what sort of welcome awaited her if she tried to join the Rebellion. Finally, she spoke. “I can work with vengeance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia, as it turns out, is difficult for me to write in a situation where her normal goofball tendencies would be way too tonally jarring. I apologize, she's a little out of character here, but let's call it the stress of her situation and Entrapta's influence and leave it at that.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter got real long on me, but it covers a lot of ground and is hopefully worth the trouble. I need to figure out if I want to check back in with Adora and crew next, or keep the view on Catra for a while, so until I decide on that it'll be a bit before the next chapter is even started, much less finished and posted. Watch this space, I guess?
> 
> Oh, and thanks for reading/giving kudos/commenting! If you haven't already realized that I am a chatty ol' bastard in the comment section, well, now you know.
> 
> EDIT: Yikes, some of these lines _clunked_ , huh? I've cleaned some of that up (the other clunky lines I just haven't noticed yet).


	4. A Planned Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora gets permission to conduct reconnaissance. With a few caveats.

Adora stood in front of Queen Angella, back ramrod straight as had been drilled into her as a Horde cadet. While Adora tended to wear her heart on her sleeve since joining the Rebellion, she could fall back into the old ways when she needed to, and this was one of those times. 

“The Rebellion  _ needs _ She-Ra, Adora. The Horde has been more aggressive in the last weeks, and we cannot have you running around on some… personal vendetta.”

Several response rushed through Adora’s head, and she bit them all back in favor of the one she knew would be most effective. “Our forces have been more than up to the task. It doesn’t help that these are barely incursions - not one of these attacks have had a force large enough to accomplish anything of note.”

“Was it not  _ you  _ and my daughter,” Angella said, putting the emphasis on where she clearly thought the majority of responsibility lay, “who convinced me that only the Horde would ever sacrifice civilians to gain a tactical advantage?”

“I’m not advocating leaving the Horde to run rampant, your Majesty,” Adora said, refusing to let herself lose her temper, “As I said, our forces are more than up to the task. They are far better trained than they were three - even four years ago.”

“And so is She-Ra, or am I mistaken? She-Ra’s place is on the front lines. You give the people hope, and you keep the Horde in check by your presence alone.”

Adora shook her head firmly. “I don’t think we’re keeping the Horde in check! These recent attacks are a delaying action, to buy time for some plot we don’t know yet. Catra-”

“Has not been seen by you or any of our contacts in over a month,” Angella said, sighing heavily. “Adora, you have to face facts. I know she was your friend once, but she’s gone and you need to-”

“She’s not  _ gone! _ ” Adora couldn’t hold back her outburst. She flushed heavily and bowed her head. “I am sorry, your Majesty. I do not… I do not intend to search for Catra.” When Angella raised an eyebrow, Adora continued. “The technology in her tank was First Ones technology, and I believe that if we do not uncover when and how it was integrated with Horde equipment, we will find ourselves at a severe disadvantage.”

Angella steepled her fingers. “You’re talking about the wreckage we recovered? Our scientists have been studying it, but they seem to believe it was a prototype.”

Adora shook her head emphatically. “That doesn’t make sense. The Horde doesn’t  _ do _ that. Certainly not with a one-off prototype.”

“Friendly fire happens, Adora. Even with a well-oiled military machine like the Horde.”

“No I mean, they don’t send a prototype out into the field unless they’re already manufacturing them.”

“Unless they’re desperate.” Angella noted. “The Rebellion’s done more than force a stalemate these last three years - we’ve made actual territorial gains. The political situation for the Horde could be unstable enough to force their hand.”

“It’s not worth the risk of there being some worse threat out there! We can’t afford uncertainty.” Adora replied, pressing her luck, “At the very least we should increase our intelligence gathering efforts. I know Fright Zone’s territory better than anyone else here, I can be in and out without anyone noticing. I just need a chance to see what they’re up to.”

Angella sighed, “And if I don’t say yes, you’ll just run off and do it anyway, I’m sure. Very well, Adora, you can have your mission. On two conditions.”

“Which are?”

“One, you go alone. I won’t risk any troops or personnel - and certainly not my daughter - on what is likely to be a wild goose chase.”

Adora nodded. “I assumed it would be a one-man mission to begin with. Done. What’s the other condition?”

“The sword stays here. If you’re captured or killed, there can be another She-Ra. The Sword of Protection is wholly unique.”

Somehow, Adora managed to hide her surprise. She hadn’t planned on using her She-Ra form anyway, but to hear Angella so pointedly lay out her expendability was… less pleasant than she’d been prepared for. Still, it only took her a few seconds to nod her assent. “Of course.”

“Very well. Find evidence of this new threat, Adora, and you will have done the Rebellion a great service once again. Fail to find any evidence, and at least we’ll know for sure.” Angella waved her hand in dismissal. Adora turned on her heel and began heading out of the throne room, only for Angella to call out behind her. “One more thing, Adora: Come back in one piece. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter her friend is dead.”

“Of course, your Majesty.” Adora called back over her shoulder.  _ I’d hate to  _ inconvenience _ you _ , she didn’t add.

Glimmer was, as expected, furious with her mother. “What do you  _ mean _ a solo mission? And without the sword? Is she  _ insane _ ?”

Adora sighed deeply. “No, she’s just being the queen. It’s the right decision, considering everything. She’s convinced I’m just trying to find out what’s happened to Catra.”

Glimmer spluttered, beside herself with anger. “But you aren’t! The whole… you said yourself they wouldn’t put something that valuable at risk unless they had something better!” There was a pause, then, “You  _ aren’t _ just trying to find out what happened to Catra, are you?”

“I wish I was,” Adora admitted, an undercurrent of anguish in her voice, “she  _ can’t _ be dead. I  _ know _ she’s not dead.”

“Adora…” Glimmer’s hand rested on her friend’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “We didn’t find a body, but… That tank  _ exploded _ . Even if she got out, the injuries she would’ve suffered…”

“The Horde’s medical teams are second to none. They could have saved her.” 

“The Horde is the reason the tank exploded. You said it yourself, friendly fire is highly unlikely in the Horde. Maybe… maybe she fell out of favor.”

This was something Adora had considered herself, though she’d not spoken the suspicion aloud. It had not escaped her notice that the Horde had been far more careful with its troops since Catra’s ascension to second in command. Some small part of her hoped Catra was also trying to give the Rebellion an advantage, that some part of her  _ wanted _ the Horde destroyed for what it had done to her and Adora. Deep down, Adora believed, Catra was a good person. Under Hordak, though… that would have been a dangerous game to play, and if Catra had been playing it, killing her in a staged friendly fire accident would have been a mercy.

“I… suppose that’s possible,” Adora finally said, “but she’s still alive. I know it. I just have to  _ find _ her.”

“Well,” Glimmer said, deciding to pick her battles, “first you have to find out what the Horde’s planning. Come on, I’m sure I’ve got some equipment that’ll come in handy.”

The two walked to Glimmer’s (formerly) secret armory, where she busied herself grabbing a few weapon options and a small communicator device (a souvenir from Entrapta, back when she’d been on their side). She laid the items out on a table in front of Adora, who raised an eyebrow and gave a wry grin.

“You know, this is a stealth mission. Not an assault.” 

“Shut up,” Glimmer said, hugging Adora tightly, “I don’t want to lose you. You check in with Bow and I with the communicator, and the second that something goes wrong we’ll come in guns blazing.”

“You don’t use guns.” Adora teased, unable to help herself. “You’ll come in with glitter bombs and whatever arrow Bow’s come up with last.”

“You know what I mean.” Gimmer said, sniffing back a few tears. “Swift Wind will get you in and out, right?”

“Yeah, I spoke with him earlier. He’s pretty sure I’m right, but I think he’s just saying that because he likes me.”

“Well he would. You’re very likeable.” 

“Hopefully any Horde soldiers I run into will think the same thing and let me go.” Adora joked, a little darkly.

There was a ruckus outside the armory door which, as it turned out, were caused by the appearance of a flying horse in a palace hallway. Swift Wind stuck his head in the doorway. “Hey! Adora! We getting out of here or not? I think they’re mad about my hooves on the tiles.”

Moments later they were standing out next to the palace runestone. Adora wore a small pack of mostly food and water, along with the communicator and, because Glimmer insisted, a pair of daggers shoved in her belt. Sitting astride Swift Wind, she looked down at Glimmer (and Bow, who’d followed Swift Wind), and smiled reassuringly.

“I’ll be back before the week’s out. Promise.”

“You better be!” Bow said, looking cheery as always. “Otherwise I’ll have to put up with Glimmer fretting.”

Adora laughed at Glimmer’s offended expression. “Ready, Swift Wind?”

“Hey, I’ve been ready to go all day.” Swift Wind sounded a little annoyed, which was more or less par for the course when it came to Swift Wind in any kind of city. “Hold on tight now, you can’t turn into a giant magical lady if you fall off anymore.”

With a beat of his wings, he shot into the sky, and was quickly lost to sight. Adora was on her way to the Fright Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adora, this is a sneaking mission. Try not to get caught.


	5. A Business Partnership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta lends a hand. Scorpia has a proposal. Catra has... insomnia.

Catra shot up in her bed, covered in sweat and biting back a scream. Her missing hand felt like it was on fire, and her eye throbbed mercilessly. She gulped in air and drew her legs up to her chest, willing her heartbeat to slow back down. It had been another nightmare about the tank. The screams of her crew echoed in her memory, and the mad dash she’d made, scrambling out the hole torn in the hull only to be blasted into the air when the tank detonated. Having calmed down somewhat, she hopped out of her bed and walked across the room to where a small sink jutted out of the wall. She filled a glass with water, went to turn the tap off with her missing hand, and felt like screaming. She did  _ not _ feel like having to talk to Scorpia about why she’d screamed though, and so she kept quiet. The water was surprisingly good, lacking the oily taste she’d been accustomed to in the Fright Zone - Entrapta’s doing, Scorpia had informed her. 

Sleep eluded her for the rest of the night, leaving her staring with one good eye up at the ceiling. The other eye, her ruined eye, was covered by an eyepatch which she couldn’t bring herself to take off, even asleep. It itched when she didn’t keep it covered, she’d learned. The night crawled on interminably, and Catra’s thoughts were dragged where they always went in the late watches of the night, when she was too exhausted and too vulnerable to care about her pride: Adora. Still, four years on, the wound that never quite healed, not even when Catra was riding high as Hordak’s second in command, quietly making sure the soldiers -  _ her _ soldiers - were better taken care of, establishing squads that played to their strengths rather than sending them off to die unsupported and underequipped. Even as she felt a fierce pride every time an operation concluded with no casualties, even when she won shocking victories that kept the Horde from collapsing and earned Lord Hordak’s praise, she found herself wishing she had Adora with her to see it. 

Catra had thrown herself into building the Horde, and it had kept her from dwelling on it too much, but it was never enough. She still missed Adora. Now, she supposed, they were on the same side, sort of. Except, of course, Catra had rolled through villages left undefended, and seen civilians living in squalor. She’d even been thanked a few times, for running off some local governor or other who’d turned out to be an asshole. That the Horde was welcomed  _ anywhere _ was a sign of how weak the Alliance’s grip on their own holdings were - or a sign that the leadership was so concerned with the Horde they’d let anyone willing to pledge allegiance do whatever they pleased. Add to that the long history of Catra handing Alliance forces their own ass, and, well, it was doubtful she’d be welcomed with open arms anyway.

“An army without a kingdom, huh?” Catra muttered to herself. What was she supposed to do with that? She’d been greeted by a group of soldiers when they’d landed the night before, all of whom seemed to be of the opinion that Catra would have already had some kind of a plan. It had been Scorpia, of all people, who’d given orders to the soldiers regarding some operational plan and helped Entrapta hustle a still weakened Catra to the infirmary. Today, apparently, Entrapta would have some kind of a replacement for Catra’s missing hand, or so she’d claimed. Something to look forward to, Catra supposed, although it wasn’t helping her sleep at the moment. At least trying to come up with some kind of a plan distracted her from her usual late-night reminder of the fact that somehow, she still missed Adora’s warmth. Except now she was thinking about that, and it just made her more frustrated, and if she could just…  _ sleep _ instead of sitting here stewing in her regrets and trauma and guilt it would be nice. She focused on her breathing, and after what felt like far too long she must have fallen back to sleep for at least a little while, because a polite knocking on her door brought her, bleary-eyed, into consciousness.

“Commander? I’ve got your hand ready!” Entrapta’s voice chirped from the other side. “If you want, I can show you how it works so you can start getting used to it immediately.”

Catra fumbled around for some clothing, mumbling a few swears as she did so. Once she had herself looking reasonably presentable, or at least presentable enough for Entrapta, she opened the door. Entrapta bustled in, cradling a mechanical hand in her arms. Catra folded her arms and eyed it dubiously. Inventions from Entrapta tended to fall into two categories: incredibly useful, or explosive. Very rarely, it was a combination of the two.

If Entrapta noticed Catra’s apprehension, she gave no sign of it. “Without any real access to my old workshop, I haven’t been able to pull anything more complex together, but those would’ve required implants anyway, and I assumed you might be a little hesitant to have implants after spending so much time under the knife lately, so…”

“Entrapta,” Catra said, cutting her off, “Just show me how it works.”

“Right, of course!” Entrapta lay the hand down on a desk standing in the corner of the room. “You stick your arm in this end,” she started, grinning at the annoyed look Catra gave her. “There’s a suite of sensors inside that will read your arm’s muscle movements and translate them into, well, what they would be with a… normal hand. Er, sorry.”

“As long as it works, I think you’re forgiven.” Catra said, reaching out to grab the hand. “I take it these straps are meant to go around my shoulder? Give it support?”

“Yeah, it’s like a harness of sorts. And you’ll want to put something over your arm to keep it from chafing. Keep the uh, the… well, keep it comfortable. You know. I’ve got one right uh, here.”  

Catra reached out with her good hand and gave Entrapta’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Hey, uh… I appreciate this. It’s not… I’m sure it wasn’t easy. You know, developing something like this.”

“Oh it was easy enough,” Entrapta said, seemingly torn between a desire to stay and see if the hand worked and the desire to get the hell out of what was obviously an awkward situation for her, “Try it on, I can make any necessary adjustments as you get used to it.”

Rolling the provided… well, Catra supposed it was basically a sock, over her arm, she picked up the hand and slid her arm into the socket. It was a little snug, though she supposed it had to be. Entrapta showed where to fasten the straps, and Catra was relieved to see that it could be done one-handed. The idea of having to ask for help every time she put the hand on was… distressing. 

“The power switch is here,” Entrapta indicated, “and you don’t have to worry about a power source. It’s a kinetically charged battery - as long as you’re moving around it’ll naturally charge itself.” 

The hand was a red color, and the wrist of it was a ball joint that looked strange to Catra’s eye. “I don’t… how do I move?”

“Just…look at the hand and  think about moving your fingers.” Entrapta said. 

The fingers wiggled a little. Catra balled it into a fist, then flexed the hand experimentally. “There’s no sensory feedback?”

“No, that would require you to have a direct neural link with the hand,” Entrapta said, conversationally, “I mean, we could try something like that further down the line, but we just don’t have the resources for something like that right now.”

“I see.” Catra said. “What’s it made of?”

“It’s a similar alloy to what we use in most of our melee weapons,” Entrapta said, “but I refined it down to something a little lighter. Should be able to stand up to any debris or uh, conventional projectile weapons. Put enough force behind it and you’ll cause some serious damage too - but you’ll also risk warping the joints and then the whole thing will need to be fixed, so don’t go trying to punch through walls or anything.”

Catra looked at the water glass she’d used the previous night and reached out to pick it up. The glass stayed firm under her touch, although she couldn’t feel it. She willed herself to squeeze harder, and it shattered, eliciting a squeak from Entrapta. 

“Oh! Well, be careful about that too. Unless you meant to do that. But I can maybe wire in some kind of basic feedback - a rumble or something that lets you know if you’re really squeezing hard… oh, or maybe something like a little… hmm…” She whipped out a notebook and started scribbling in it. “I’ll see about making a few new prototypes.”

Catra stared at the hand again, the fingers twitching with subtle movements as she adjusted to the idea. “Don’t make it a priority,” she said, “I’m sure we’ve got other issues that are a little more pressing.”

“Whatever you say, Commander.” Entrapta said, cheerily ignoring the command and continuing to scribble down notes. “That reminds me! Scorpia wanted to see you once you were up and about. There’s a proposal she wants your input on.”

Catra nodded, as if that made perfect sense, then shook her head. “Wait, what proposal? The hell is she up to?”

Entrapta shrugged. “We’re all here for the same thing, Commander. Scorpia’s been putting a lot of thought into how to take the fight back to Hordak without our getting, you know, crushed.”

“Never figured Scorpia for much of a thinker, honestly.” Catra muttered.

This earned her a snort from Entrapta. “She pays a lot more attention than you give her credit for, Commander. You know she was one of Hordak’s favored Captains too, before all this happened.” There was a defensiveness to Entrapta’s tone that made Catra think she might want to drop the subject altogether. Or maybe apologize.

“Very well,” Catra said, stretching and looking for a jacket to throw on to hide the straps holding her hand to the rest of her, “Let’s go see what she has to say.”

Scorpia was sat at a desk that was slightly too small for her, looking over a stack of papers and frowning as Catra entered. Her eyes lit up as Catra entered, waving with her new hand. “Hey Scorpia,” she said, casual as anything, “Entrapta says you’ve got some kind of proposal.”

“Commander!” Scorpia bounded across the desk and wrapped Catra up in a bone-crushing hug that, for once, Catra endured. “It does my heart good to see you up and about, you really have no idea. I’m sure it gives the men hope too.”

Catra had noticed, as she’d made her way across the facility, that various Horde soldiers seemed to pause as she walked by and salute her. It was, she assumed, an old habit from the Fright Zone - you saluted the Commander as she walked by, and the gods help you if you didn’t. Catra had nodded at each soldier whenever it happened, and it was only now that any of it seemed strange to her. “Yes, I uh, I’m sure it did. Hell if I know why.”

“I told you the other day,” Scorpia said, in a patient tone, “you’re a hero to them. They thought - we all did, for a while - that we’d lost you. Yet here you are, walking and talking just like… well, not just like it never happened, obviously, but you know what I mean. Right?”

Catra, in what was becoming a regular occurrence, decided it was best to just nod. “Sure. Now what’s this proposal of yours?”

Scorpia nodded, and her manner shifted to something a bit more serious. “Well, as I told you, we’re out here on our own, and while we’ve got some resources coming in from teams out scavenging whatever they can find, we need more of… well, everything, really.”

“Food, water, shelter, that sort of thing?” Catra ticked each off on her new hand, and was briefly frustrated to discover that the thumb seemed a little harder to control than the rest.

“Well, yeah, plus more weaponry and manpower. We’re a group of about sixty, and that’s hardly going to put up a fight against Hordak’s forces. Or the Alliance forces, should they discover our location and decide to come calling.”

Catra frowned. “So what can we do? Scavenge harder? Ask for charity?”

Scorpia shook her head. “No, we trade for it.”

“We don’t really have anything to trade, do we?”

“Of course we do!” Scorpia said, seemingly surprised that Catra hadn’t figured it out yet, “We’ve got soldiers. Not many to start with, but more than enough to hire ourselves out as security, maybe pull some smaller-scale sabotage and espionage, heck, even assassinations if the job makes sense. We’ve got military expertise, and we can use that in trade for food, equipment, whatever else we need.”

“You’re talking about becoming mercenaries.” Catra stated flatly. “Sell our skills to whoever pays the most?”

“If that’s what you want to do. Or we take the jobs that  _ do _ something. We’ve got men from the old intelligence unit who can get us work that’ll weaken Hordak’s organization, or even give the smaller players on the Rebellion side a little aid that can help keep Brightmoon off our backs.” Scorpia seemed incredibly pleased with herself. “Trust me, the Princess Alliance is no stranger to hiring people to do their dirty work - and if they’re hiring us to do it, it means they don’t see us as a threat. It might even give us some leverage in negotiations when we take down Hordak.”

“Provided they never realize we’ll probably also be killing their people when we need to, I assume?” 

“Exactly. I’ll admit Commander, I was never much for politicking, but you don’t grow up a Princess and not learn how to play the game. Trust me,” she said with a confidence that Catra had never seen before, “This will work. The more jobs we do, the more people will hear about our organization, and we can pull recruits right out of the ranks of the Horde and Rebellion armies. As long as we treat our men better than anyone else, and promise the chance to fight alongside the Commander.”

“The Commander?”

“You. You’re the Commander. I said you’d become something of a legend, remember? Even now, there’s soldiers on both sides of the fight stuck with terrible leaders who don’t know the value of a soldier’s life - or maybe they just don’t care. You  _ cared _ , Commander. You cared, and you’ve gone toe to toe with some of the fiercest enemies the world’s ever seen and come out on top. Hell, Hordak himself hasn’t been able to kill you. That’s a legend, Commander. That’s you.” With that, Scorpia fell silent, having seemingly delivered her pitch.

An army without a kingdom, Catra had said to herself earlier that morning. Stuck in the middle of a fight that she wasn’t sure she believed in. All she knew how to do was fight, so why not fight on her own terms for once? It seemed like a pretty good idea, and hell, hadn’t she already committed to vengeance on Hordak? Maybe there was even some kind of redemption to be found out there - a way to make up for the attacks on defenseless villages she’d led. Catra took a deep breath, and for the second time since waking up, decided to go for it. “Okay Scorpia. What’s our first job?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's coming along, I suppose. I started reading _Against the Day_ again, to see if some of the tone of that rubs off on this - and to remind myself what good writing looks like. A bit of the ol' self-depreciation there.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's left kudos and comments and stuff! They're all very good, and I'm thoroughly enjoying them. Do feel free to let me know how you think I'm doing! Next chapter will be up whenever it's done. We'll check in on what Adora's infiltration is up to. I don't know if we'll keep ping-ponging between viewpoints as the story progresses, but at least for now that seems to be the pattern.


	6. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora has some suspicions confirmed, and hears some news that doesn't sit well with her at all.

Two hours in the Fright Zone was enough for Adora to begin thinking that maybe it had not been her best idea to come in alone without the Sword of Protection. Clearly a lot had changed in the three years since Brightmoon - one of those things happened to be, apparently, far more regular patrols of the border. Swift Wind had been forced to abort their initial approach, which left Adora to make the approach on foot. It had taken her nearly two hours of careful observation to find a gap in patrols long enough to make her move. Getting out would be be a problem, she thought, but if she was a little noisier during her exit it probably would not be much of an issue. Swift Wind would be able to get in and pull her out.

“Hey! Adora! Does this thing work? Do you have any idea how hard it was to make this work with hooves?”

 _Speak of the devil_ , Adora thought, and keyed her own transmitter twice to signal Swift Wind that she could hear him, but also couldn’t talk.

“Were you saying something? I couldn’t hear you!”

Adora keyed her transmitter twice again, rolling her eyes a little.

“I didn’t get that, you have to hold the button down to- oh wait we talked about this didn’t we? Okay well in that case, I’ll let everyone know you made it in. Did you make it in?”  
Adora signalled an affirmative while suppressing a laugh. Ridiculous horse. He was a nice distraction from the fact that anyone who got enough of a look at her to realize who she was would try to kill or capture her. It wasn’t the most pleasant of thoughts, but the outskirts of the Fright Zone had plenty of places to hide. Catra had frequently found new places to hide every time they’d been ushered out of the main base on training missions, and the basic espionage training they’d received had given Adora enough experience to pick her way across what was a mostly ruined landscape.

It was difficult for her, now, to consider how she ever could have thought the Fright Zone anything even closely resembling a home. There was barely any vegetation in the harsh no-man’s land that separated the edge of the Horde’s territory and the Alliance, replaced instead by blasted craters and wire, interrupted by the occasional wreckage of vehicles or, sometimes, an old town. There were also, obviously, Horde outposts scattered across the landscape, from which regular patrols headed into the remote areas where, as it happened, Adora was trying to hide.

From where she’d arrived, Adora expected it to take at least two days to make it to the actual R&D complex on foot. That was assuming everything went according to plan, and the Horde hadn’t relocated its labs in the last four years. Adora readjusted the straps on her pack and trudged forward. She’d changed into her old Horde uniform, in the hopes that it would at least allow her to blend in a little, but the pack on her back was not exactly standard issue. She’d need to stash it somewhere when she made it closer to the main facility.

The first day was, fortunately enough, uneventful. Adora made camp in a ruined building in a settlement near a copse of trees which seemed to offer more shelter than most. It was an area deep enough in Horde territory that it hadn't seen battle in a long time, allowing nature to recover and reclaim some of the buildings there. Adora carefully checked for signs of recent activity, and was briefly surprised to see signs of relatively recent occupation: a small bed, some discarded ration tins, and (most disturbingly) a pile of bloody bandages.

 _Are there people living off the Horde's radar in the Fright Zone?_ Adora thought to herself. There had been deserters of the Horde, of course, but the only reason Adora had ever heard of them was because they were inevitably dragged back in chains and publicly executed. It was part of recruit training, sometimes, to aid in the execution - something Adora had never had to do herself, thankfully. It had always been her assumption that if you got out of the Horde, you got all the way out - which is to say, you left the Fright Zone and hid somewhere else. Which, if you believed the Horde, meant you were dead within a few days as a roving Princess would murder you as soon as look at you.

It was, she assumed, possible that Horde deserters who believed the propaganda would necessarily stay within the Fright Zone’s borders. Of course, judging by the state of the area, whomever had been hiding here had been captured or killed - there were clear signs of battle, and the area outside was scorched by plasma fire. Adora estimated it had probably happened close to a week ago, which meant, she hoped, there would be no Horde hunters swinging by any time soon. Cautious nevertheless, she spent some time setting up noisemakers at points of entry before she bedded down for the night.

Sleep was, as it turned out, a little more elusive than she hoped. Something about being back in the Fright Zone, she supposed, brought her thoughts increasingly back to Catra’s fate. Was she alive? Had it actually been an accident, and she was recovering in the Horde’s infirmary? Or had she crawled off somewhere and died, alone and wounded? If she had survived, but hadn’t gone back to the Fright Zone for some reason, where was she, and why hadn’t she tried to find Adora? She had to know that Adora would help, regardless of everything. Hell, Catra had exploited Adora’s unwillingness to abandon her on a number of occasions, always to Adora’s dismay. Which meant, as far as Adora could figure, that it was most likely Catra was dead or still with the Horde in some form or another. Either way, Adora thought, she would have an opportunity to find out one way or the other. Maybe she’d even have a chance to save her, make up for having failed to bring Catra along in the first place, something that Catra had certainly never forgiven Adora for, and Adora, increasingly as the years went by, was unable to forgive herself for as well. Eventually, these thoughts finished running themselves around Adora’s brain, and she fell asleep.

She was up with the sun, and after taking some time to get herself awake and fed, she shouldered her pack and set out again. Later that afternoon, she reached the edge of the massive junkyard that surrounded the Horde’s primary headquarters, and heaved a sigh of relief. This was territory she was more familiar with. Mountains of junked equipment, training bots that had been too broken to bother repairing, and the occasional heavily decomposed corpse of some unfortunate cadet or guard who’d been caught in a landslide of shifting refuse. The Horde did not have a policy of giving funerals to those weak enough to perish in accidents, preferring instead their bodies would serve as a reminder of the importance of caution to others.

Adora was surprised to see signage warning about particularly dangerous areas posted throughout the yard as she moved through it. Judging by the illustration of a frowning Catra, Adora supposed it must have been her idea. The sound of bootsteps brought her to alert again, and she cast about, looking for a suitable hiding place. Unfortunately for her, she was more or less out in the open - the only cover available was a shallow ditch that, if she was lucky, would at least give her a chance. She scrambled into it, pulling her backpack over her in the hopes that it would pass for random debris and give her a slightly better chance. She drew the knives Glimmer had given her and desperately hoped she would not have to use them. It soon became clear there were two sets of boots - a basic security patrol, Adora thought. If it came to it, she could kill them both. The two guards, as they grew closer, were not paying much attention, if their conversation was anything to go by.

“You hear about that squad that deserted? I heard they’ve mobilized some of our best trackers to go after them.”

“That’s not much of a surprise. I heard they were some of the Commander’s old honor guard.”

“Disloyal dogs. They’re sullying her memory by abandoning the Horde.”

“Did you catch the execution of the tank squad that fired on her? Hordak pulled the lever himself.”

“Of course he did! You saw how furious he was about what happened. The Commander’s death was a shock to everyone, him most of all.”

Adora had to bite back a cry. So, Catra was dead, then. Or at least, the part of her that refused to give up hastened to add, the Horde considered her dead. The news weighed her down, settled deep in her chest and stayed there. The conversation continued without her paying attention, and by the time her attention returned she wasn’t sure what they were talking about.

“-that last engagement was a disaster, no two ways about it. Makes me glad I drew guard duty, you know what I’m saying?”

“Hush! You want someone to overhear that kind of talk? They’ll have you brought up on charges of treason.”

“Oh please, everyone knows the Commander’s replacement isn’t up to the job. The top brass is putting all their hopes on that fancy new weapon of theirs. Whatever the hell _that_ is.”

Adora’s heart beat faster. So there _was_ a new weapon after all - and it wasn’t finished yet. That was something, at least.

“Wasn’t that one of the Commander’s projects? Who’s running it now?”

“Hordak himself, if you believe the rumors. He’s the only one with enough experience with First Ones technology.”

“Surprised to hear it - he’s already taken over the Commander’s duties rather than replace her. Wonder where he finds the time.”

“Well, he said it himself. There’s no replacing Commander Catra. We’ve all got to try to live up to her…”

The voices faded into the distance, and Adora waited for another few minutes before emerging from the ditch. Immediately, she sholdered her pack and continued her journey. A few hours later, she caught sight of the massive edifice of the Horde’s main complex, and began heading in the direction of the R&D building. There was, she knew, an access hatch which led to the building ventilation and electrical conduits, some of which, she knew, were large enough for her to use. There was also a small storage shed which, at least four years ago, had been a good place to steal away with Catra in between training sessions. A secret place, just for them. The sun was setting, and Adora was tempted to keep going, but she knew she would need to rest if she wanted to be on her toes during what was, after all, the most dangerous part of the whole endeavor.

It was, perhaps, the universe taking pity on her, but the storage shed remained as disused and abandoned as ever. She took a moment to secure the area, then set up a small camp of sorts - really just a bedroll hidden behind some shelving. Then, it was just a matter of eating a small meal and resting until it got much later. As she slumped down on her bedroll and shut her eyes, the thought of Catra being dead seemed to jump out at her like some dreadful specter, and so caught her off guard that she started crying; a soft, stifled mourning of everything that had gone wrong between them, and everything that could have been if she’d just been smart enough to take Catra with her in the _first_ place. It wasn’t right that Catra should have died on the opposite side of the battlefield, without Adora there to help her, to have at least had the _chance_ to save her (or at least, a darker part of her thought, to die with her). Her grief exhausted her, and Adora fell asleep, to be wakened later by the soft chime of her alarm deep in the night, to begin her search.

She left her pack in the shed - it would only get in the way now - and slipped out into the darkness. A few spotlights made routine sweeps of the grounds, but their patterns were predictable and Adora slipped through easily enough. The access hatch was right where she remembered it, and it only took her a few moments to undo the (very basic, she thought) lock and slip into the ventilation tunnels. She had a mental map of the complex in her head, but after a short while moving with agonizing slowness through vents, it became clear they were not laid out in the same way as the hallways, and followed their own paths through the complex. Eventually, Adora resigned herself to dropping out of the vents and making her way through the hallways - which, of course, would only increase her odds of getting caught, but she couldn’t afford to waste time.

Dropping into the hallway as silent as a cat, Adora quickly got her bearings. The main weapons development labs were on the floor above her, accessible via a lift or a stairwell - Adora took the stairs. She eased her way out into the hallway, dreading the sound of a patrol. So far, however, she’d been lucky.

Her luck ran out as she rounded the corner leading to the lab’s main entryway. A lone Horde guard stood just in front of where she needed to be, casting his gaze down the hallway. Adora managed to duck back before he saw her too clearly, but there was the sound of a weapon being drawn and footsteps nonetheless.

“Who’s there?” The voice had a commanding tone. “This area is off limits to everyone but Lord Hordak and his aides. Identify yourself immediately.”

Adora’s heart sank, and she drew her dagger. As the guard rounded the corner, Adora ducked low and got in under his defenses quickly. One hand covered his mouth, while the other pressed the edge of the blade against his throat. He had the good sense to go still and drop his weapon, then. Adora dragged him into the stairwell, where she suddenly let the knife go and, while he was distracted, choked him into unconsciousness.

 _You should have just killed him_ , a feline voice in her head said. _He’ll wake up and they’ll know someone was here. But you always were a softie, huh Adora?_ Adora picked her dagger up off the floor, gripping the hilt so tight that her knuckles went white, and took a deep breath before heading back in the direction of the laboratory.

The laboratory was really more of a workshop - tables littered with guns and other weaponry in various states of assembly (or disassembly). Adora frowned - a lot of the components on the tables looked like First Ones technology, which was not good. The prize, as it turned out, was a massive cannon suspended from the ceiling. It was an energy cannon, that much was immediately clear - but it seemed far more complex than any Adora had ever seen. A set of schematics left carelessly strewn on a nearby chair provided the answer as to why. Someone had figured out how to produce an energy that would cancel out the energy produced by Etheria’s runestones. Another note on the schematics caught Adora’s eye:

_Combining the cannon with the bipedal platform proposed by E. will provide the maneuverability/survivability necessary to get within range regardless of terrain (ref. report 1048: Whispering Woods Terrain Challenges for further discussion)_

“Bipedal platform, huh?” Adora muttered to herself. “Don’t like the sound of that.”

She rolled the schematics up and thrust them through her belt. There was proof enough of her suspicions - and it included something to have the Rebellion’s spies listen out for to boot. Adora glanced out the window and was dismayed to see the sky already beginning to take on the grey light of dawn. She’d have to hurry to get back out into the junkyard before sunrise where she’d have an easier chance of finding a safe spot to hide. Doubtless once the guard was discovered the whole facility would be on alert, making her exit even more difficult. Best to get beyond the walls, at the very least.

 _It was a lot easier when you had the keys to a skiff, huh?_ Catra’s voice echoed in Adora’s head. _Of course, you were never up for taking a joyride. Well, except once_. Adora shook her head again. She’d pushed herself too far, eager to get in and out, and it was coming back to haunt her.

It didn’t take her too long to get out of the R&D building and back to the storage shed. She transferred the schematics into her pack and headed out, moving as quickly as she dared. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when she dropped on the other side of the wall, back in the familiar wasteland of the junkyard. Luck was with her once more, as she was able to find yet another one of her and Catra’s old hiding spots and, from the looks of it, nobody else seemed to have made the discovery. Adora curled into a ball and was asleep within seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wound up cutting this chapter a little short. We'll deal with Adora's exfiltration in the next chapter.
> 
> There was a draft of this where the words Metal Gear were uttered in an incredulous voice, but I just... I don't know, it would bother me to make the connection that explicit. While I am just having a grand old time essentially doing a crossover fic, part of me wants to keep the serial numbers filed off, because it would just... sound wrong. Does that make sense?
> 
> There was also a draft of this where Adora straight-up _murdered_ that guard, but again, it felt too out of character for her. I mean, she's killed people - in this very fic, no less - but that was on the battlefield, not sneaking up on a dude and knifing him in the brain, you know? I'm discovering that I have drawn all sorts of arbitrary lines in the sand with this. This is because I am a ridiculous person.
> 
> Thanks for reading! And commenting! And leaving kudos! I enjoy your comments as much, if not more, as you enjoy this nonsense I'm writing!


	7. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora needs very badly to get out of the Fright Zone. Catra helps, sort of.

The sound of heavy footfalls roused Adora from sleep to a full, adrenaline-filled alertness within thirty seconds. She rolled over into a crouch, grabbed the two daggers, and listened with baited breath. Shouted commands echoed through the air urging a thorough search of the grounds, and Adora found herself cautiously creeping up to the entrance to her hiding spot to take a look around. The immediate area looked clear, but from the sound of things a search team was coming dangerously close to her location. She had a choice to make: either she stayed, and hoped that nobody found her, or she set out moving as fast as she could and hoped to outrun pursuit.

 _If you stay,_ she thought, _you might as well slit your own throat and save them the trouble. Horde trackers aren’t known to be bad at their jobs_.

There wasn’t really much time to decide, so Adora went with her gut, grabbed her pack, and took off. She moved just short of a sprint, knowing that breaking into a run would only give the trackers a more obvious path to follow. As it was, she had to balance moving swiftly with being careful not to leave traces of her presence - difficult to do when the ground was mostly dirt. At least it hadn’t rained recently - it would make things slightly easier - but she’d still need to do something to put them off her trail sooner rather than later.

It was probably inevitable that she’d be spotted at some point, at which point it would no longer matter how fast she went. The trick would be making sure that when that happened, it was on her own terms. As Adora moved through the junkyard, she kept an eye out for a good spot to set up an ambush.The junkyard had plenty of spots for an ambush, but it was also too close to the main headquarters for comfort. She’d need to stay ahead of them until she got further away - if, of course, she could maintain her current pace.

 _How long can you run, Adora?_ Catra’s voice echoing in her head again, _And at what point will you not have enough energy to fight?_

Adora hated to admit it, but the voice had a point. She cleared the perimeter of the junkyard and took off at a proper run now, not bothering to worry about leaving a trail to follow. If anything, she _wanted_ a trail, wanted to be able to lead the Horde trackers right where she wanted them. Trouble was, she didn't quite know where she wanted them, yet. The land outside the junkyard was mostly open plains and the odd patch of brambles, along with a few small streams, none of which were particularly good places for an ambush.

_Beggars can't be choosers, Adora._

She made for a small copse of trees. It would be far too obvious, she knew, but the trackers would have to enter it or risk losing her trail. They would be expecting an ambush from above, and the longer she didn't attack, the more anxious they'd become. If the trail led them out untouched, they would likely drop their guard a little, assuming she was too busy fleeing to worry about ambushes. Which was precisely why Adora waited for the group to pass completely through to the other side before she rose up from the small ditch she'd dug for cover like some kind of creature from hell and went to work.

It was a team of four - two in front and two behind - armed with projectile weapons and stun batons. The trick was going to be avoiding the stun batons, which would fry her without She-Ra's resistance to help cushion the blow. Fortunately, nobody had their batons out, figuring, most likely, that they would start fighting at range (or more accurately, that they would be able to shoot her down without having to fight at all). It ended up being a costly mistake. By the time they realized what was happening, Adora had already sunk her dagger deep into the back of one soldier’s neck, dropping him with a wet, choking sound. Before they realized they were under attack by an assailant that was already in melee range, Adora had redirected the shot from one into another, and the squad of four was now a squad of two, one of whom had finally managed to pull their stun baton, the other who was furiously trying to backpedal to draw a bead on her.

The baton-wielder swung out, a panicked blow that still managed to graze the side of Adora’s head, and the shock staggered her for a moment. She allowed her momentum to carry her to the ground just as she felt a bullet whizz overhead. A surge of anger went through her, then, at these soldiers trying to kill her, at the organization they represented that had taken so much away from her. Her daggers found the stun-baton soldier’s legs, then, as he screamed and bent over, found his throat. The soldier with the gun took a few steps back at that, and Adora took advantage of his fear to charge forward with a guttural yell. Panicked, the soldier squeezed off a few shots, but before he could effectively cause any real damage, Adora was driving her daggers into his chest, following his body to the ground. She rolled forward and sprang back to her feet, then pivoted to face the woods and stood there, panting as the combat high began to bleed out of her system.

A burning pain in her side let her know that at least one shot had found its mark, and the blood on her hand when she pressed it to her side confirmed it. She’d been reckless, charging like that. There wasn’t enough time to see to the wound properly - it was a sure thing the Horde would eventually notice a team of their trackers had failed to report back in, and she needed to be far away by then. She wiped her daggers off, then bent down and cut a strip of cloth off one of the fallen trackers’ uniforms to make a crude bandage which she wrapped tightly around her waist. While she was at it, she took one of the projectile throwers as well. They seemed a bit crude for the Horde, Adora thought, but it made sense if you wanted to send troops out on long engagements in foreign territory. One of Catra’s ideas, Adora assumed - one of the things that had surprised Adora in the years spent fighting her friend was the surprising pragmatism she displayed in the equipping of her troops.

Thinking about Catra just made Adora’s chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with the wound to her side, and she shifted her focus to getting as far away as possible before exhaustion (and her wound) caught up with her. She set off at a fast pace, trying her best to ignore the way her side felt like it was on fire. Still, she managed a good pace for the greater part of the afternoon before a wave of dizziness washed over her. The makeshift bandage was soaked through, and she was sweating profusely. There was another copse of trees, and she made her way there on increasingly unsteady feet. Her foot snagged on a root and she went crashing suddenly to the ground, where she lay there, feeling her senses slowly dim as unconsciousness took her.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a familiar tread on the ground. A set of feet sticking out of what might have at one point been called stockings, if stockings had enormous holes ripped in them by claws, came into view and stopped.

“Hey, Adora. Looks like you’re in a bit of a spot, huh?” Catra loomed over Adora’s prone form, an eyebrow raised and an amused expression on her face.

“Great,” Adora muttered, “Of all the people to show up, it was always going to be you, wasn’t it?”

Catra crouched down and looked over Adora with a critical eye. “You know, you pushed yourself way too hard back there. Not that it wasn’t an impressive fight, but… you probably could have gotten away with hiding, you know?”

Adora levered herself up on her side to better face Catra, and stared into her mismatched eyes. “This isn’t real,” she said quietly, “I’m delirious, or dreaming.”

“You always were quick on the uptake,” Catra said dryly. “I’m dead, remember? And you… well, you’re not dead yet, but if you don’t pull yourself together and wash that wound, the resulting infection will sure as hell kill you.”

Adora winced again as she levered herself up into a sitting position, removed her pack, and slumped against the same tree whose roots has been responsible for her tripping. She began to peel the makeshift bandage off, hissing as the crusted blood pulled away from her skin. Catra winced in sympathy.

“I'm pretty sure it's not as bad as it looks, but all the same… That looks pretty bad.”

Adora huffed slightly. “Thank you for pointing it out. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.”

“Hey, I'm your hallucination, Adora. You obviously noticed it.”

“Thank you for reminding me that I’m hallucinating,” Adora sniped back, “it’s really helping.” Before Catra could respond, Adora cut her off. “And yes, I know that it’s me reminding myself I’m hallucinating. Let me have this.”

Catra shrugged. “It’s your hallucination. Have at it.”

Adora poured water over the wound, gritting her teeth as she did so. The water ran red, and then ran red, and for the sake of variety, faded to clear as she cleaned the wound. It looked ugly - a neat hole that ran right through her abdomen. Catra looked in and whistled low.

“I take it back, it _is_ as bad as it looks.”

“If you’re not going to help,” Adora said testily, forgetting for the moment she was talking to herself, “then at least keep the commentary to a minimum.”

Catra shrugged again, and remained silent while Adora dug some gauze out of her pack, along with a small metal rod containing a switch. She flipped it and, after a few minutes, the tip began to glow red. Adora took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and jammed the glowing tip into the wound. Her flesh smoked, and she bit back a scream unsuccessfully.

She must have passed out for a moment, because suddenly Catra was slapping her face. “Hey! Wake up! You aren’t allowed to die here, Adora!”

Adora focused in on Catra’s face. “Crap. It’s gotten worse, hasn’t it?”

“You think?” Catra crossed her arms and stood up, looking around worriedly. “Get a fresh bandage on and get up, I’m sure someone heard you screaming earlier.”

Adora quickly packed the wound with gauze, then wrapped a fresh bandage around her waist. Using the tree as support, she levered herself into a standing position, swaying slightly. Catra nodded in approval and helped Adora get the pack on. Her hand lingered on Adora’s shoulder, and Adora closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the touch.

“I miss you, you know? Even after everything we’ve done to each other.”

“Yeah,” Catra said, quietly, “I know. Get moving, will you? I don’t want you to die in the fucking Fright Zone.”

Adora nodded, drank the remainder of her water, and started moving. There was, she knew, a river within a few miles where she could replenish her supply. Her fever did not seem to have gone down, but the wound in her side wasn’t bothering her too much, and some reserve of strength seemed to be driving her onwards for the moment. Catra kept pace beside her, but said very little, apart from the occasional word of encouragement. When Adora saw the glint of sunlight off the water, she quickened her pace.

“Good! You can refill your water and maybe cool that fever of yours a little.” Catra grinned. “Plus, there’s an old settlement nearby. You can get some proper rest and get the hell out of here by tomorrow.”

Adora knelt on the riverbank, refilled her canteens, and dunked her head in the water. She was disappointed, upon resurfacing, to find that Catra had disappeared. Alone, and feeling foolish for feeling like what had been an hallucination was anything but that, she continued to the settlement Catra ( _no, you remembered it yourself_ , Adora thought angrily) had remembered being in the area. Another four years of disuse hadn’t made it any more livable, but it did provide Adora with some shelter. She went to contact Swift Wind, to let him know that he could pick her up tomorrow, but only then did she notice it had been shorted out by the stun baton strike.

“Guess it’s all on foot until I can reach a Rebellion settlement.” Adora muttered to herself.

“Looks like it,” Catra said, appearing suddenly.

“Great,” Adora said, “I guess my fever’s spiked again.”

“Yes, but look on the bright side,” Catra said, “You can sleep it off now.”

“Or I’ll end up dying.”

“Honestly? I don’t think you’re gonna die here, Adora. Your wound is cleaned, and with a little rest, you’ll be… well, not _great_ , but rest is what you need. I mean,” gesturing at herself, “If I’m here, you know there’s a problem, right?”

“I wish you were here,” Adora said, feeling her eyes start to burn, “If you were here, I’d just… go. Take you with me. You and me could just… we could just go somewhere else, away from everything, and figure our shit out.”

“It’s a nice dream,” Catra said, wistfully. “But it’ll have to happen in another life.”

“I’m sorry,” Adora said, drowsily, “I’m so sorry. I never should’ve...”

She fell asleep, with tears still running down her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The specter of continuity basically demanded that I continue directly from where the last chapter left off. We'll check in with Catra (the real one, not the hallucination) next chapter, I think. 
> 
> I promise I will stop making Adora miserable eventually.
> 
> As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments and such! I am delighted to #engage with you. Please #enjoy my #content.
> 
> EDIT: Tightened up some bits here and there, because I am procrastinating.


	8. On the Job Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra does some light recruiting near the border between the Horde and the Alliance.
> 
> Also some assassination.

“Alright Commander, the drop’s coming up, so let me go through this with you one more time,” Scorpia’s voice crackled in Catra’s ear as the skiff shot through the air, “Your target is a small-time administrator named Thaddeus Kerroweigh. He runs a small outpost that ostensibly serves the Princess Alliance, but the plain fact of the matter is that he’d fit in better with the Horde.”

“A would-be emperor, huh?” Catra snorted derisively. “Why doesn’t the Alliance put someone else in charge?”

“The Alliance is just happy that he claims to hate the Horde.”

Catra’s hand balled into a fist reflexively. “Ah, of course. As long as he’s not on the Horde’s side, he’s free to do whatever he likes.”

“Pretty much. Our client - or should I say  _ clients _ \- are a group of residents that have had enough. In return for taking care of their problem, they’ve agreed to provide us with shelter and supplies. Sort of a forward operating base for sending operatives into the Fright Zone. Plus-”

“It lets other settlements in similar situations know there’s a solution to their problem.” Catra finished, cutting Scorpia off. “I get it.”

“Exactly!” Scorpia sounded immensely pleased with herself.

“Does our boy have a retinue I need to worry about?”

“His loyalty to the goals of the Princess Alliance,” Scorpia said, somehow managing to not sound like she was being sarcastic, “has earned him a squad of soldiers - no idea where their loyalties lie beyond the Alliance, but it might be worth trying to avoid an engagement with them if possible.”

“What, you think we can convince them to join up?”

“Or at least look the other way when our people pass through.”

Catra shrugged, then remembered Scorpia was sitting in an office on base and not in the skiff and couldn’t see her. “Worth a shot, I suppose.”

The pilot’s voice broke in. “This is as far as we go, Commander. We’ll keep circling until you call for exfil!”

Catra nodded, took one last look over her equipment, then hopped over the side of the skiff. She landed in a low crouch, grinning. Her rehabilitation had gone well so far - her legs, at least, did not seem to have lost much of their old strength. The arm - she was still having trouble thinking of it as  _ her _ arm - had required a few adjustments from Entrapta, but it more or less functioned well enough for Catra’s purposes. She’d brought a stun baton, knife, and, though she hoped it wouldn’t come to it, a rifle slung over her back. Catra had never been one for ranged weaponry - and she hadn’t quite gotten used to aiming with only one eye yet - but she appreciated its uses.

The skiff drop point was about half a mile from the town itself, so Catra set off in a loping run for the outskirts. It felt good to run again, to remind herself that she was still capable of something. That was, she suspected, part of why Scorpia had insisted on Catra doing this mission. It wasn’t just a way of announcing their new organization’s existence, it was a way of getting Catra back on her feet. Catra was, at least, self-aware enough to realize that she needed it. Really, they all needed some kind of proof Scorpia’s idea would work. Certainly seemed like a sound theory, based on what Catra had seen herself.

The settlement was, Catra noted, poorly-defended to begin with. Apart from a basic stockade to keep any wild animals out, it lacked even rudimentary guard posts, and the squad of soldiers appeared to be keeping to a compound in the center of the settlement. It took Catra less than an hour to determine that Thaddeus had two bodyguards, neither of whom seemed to be particularly observant. Or, at least, it seemed like little enough happened in the settlement that they didn’t seem to be on edge. As for Karroweigh, Catra disliked him almost as soon as she saw him. He strutted about with the self-assurance of the untouchable, dressed in clothing that was much nicer compared to the other residents, and looked, as it happened, far better-fed to boot. It was completely unsurprising. He too did not appear to be particularly paranoid, which suited Catra’s purposes just fine. She found a nice rooftop to sit on, and waited for the majority of the town to go to bed.

Once most of the lights had gone out, Catra made her move. She dropped to the street level and began making her way to the administrator’s house. There was a pair of guards standing at the main entrance, looking bored and half-awake. Catra could have killed them easily, without too much fuss, but Scorpia’s suggestion that the soldiers might be as grateful for the removal as their clients would be echoed in her mind. Sighing, Catra readied her stun baton. She flicked it on and then threw it as hard as she could. It connected squarely with one guard’s temple, sending him to the ground. The other guard took a moment to realize what was happening, which was all the time Catra needed. She charged in, and in a few seconds had her hand across his mouth, and her knife to his throat. 

“I’m going to take my hand off your mouth in a second, and you’re going to tell me if there’s anyone else inside apart from your boss. If you call for help or try to raise any kind of alarm, I’ll end you. Nod if you understand.”

The guard nodded. 

“Good.” Catra said, and removed her hand. “Now talk.”

“There’s kitchen and serving staff on the lower level. His bedroom’s on the second floor, end of the hallway. One guard, no other way in or out of the room, unless you fancy climbing through the window.”

“I  _ do _ fancy, as a matter of fact.” Catra purred. “No other guards around the perimeter?”

“Two more at the back entrance on the south side, but his room’s on the east side.”

“This was very helpful,” Catra said, tightening her grip, “But I’m going to have to put you to sleep now. Remember, I could have killed you.”

The soldier went limp, and Catra dragged the unconscious duo around the side of the building where they were a little less obvious. Then, she sized up the wall. It was, to her delight, very climbable. Or at least, it would have been very climbable if she’d had both her hands and wasn’t forced to use the prosthetic with its fatter fingertips and vexing lack of claws. As it was, the climb was far more of a struggle than it should have been. Catra perched on the sill and eased the (unlocked, of course) window open. 

Karroweigh was snoring, sprawled across the bed. Catra watched him for a few moments, thinking. She’d never assassinated anyone before, though she’d obviously ordered an assassination or two in her time as Hordak’s second in command. Actually doing the deed herself seemed to carry a greater weight. She should, Catra thought, have performed an assassination before ever ordering one. It only seemed appropriate. 

Catra advanced slowly and quietly, drawing her knife. Time slowed down the closer she got to the corpse-to-be. She stilled her thoughts, stilled her heart, slipped into the same space she’d go to in a battle where there was only her and her foe, and one had to die. The blade glinted in the moonlight. Catra drew the blade swiftly across Kerroweigh’s throat, and used a pillow to muffle the gurgling sound he made. After a few seconds he stopped thrashing. Catra stared at the door to the bedroom, waiting to see if the bodyguard had noticed the noise. Nothing. She waited a few minutes more, just to be sure. She could feel the blood on her knife hand starting to grow tacky, and mechanically wiped her blade on the bedsheets to clean it. 

Exfiltration was a simple matter of climbing back down - which, if Catra was being honest, she could have done by just jumping out the window if she’d really needed to. Climbing was quieter, and carried less risk, and (more importantly) she needed the practice. By the time she reached the ground, her arms were on fire, the straps from her prosthetic were digging into her skin, and she’d had to rely far more on her right hand than she’d done in the past. The two guards from the main entrance were still unconscious, right where she’d left them. Catra resisted the urge to give them an affectionate pat as she walked by.

Rounding the corner, Catra came quite suddenly face to face with a lone soldier. It was a young, tired-looking woman, wearing a uniform that was falling into disrepair. A short ponytail stuck out in a too-familiar manner, reminding her of Adora. Maybe that was why Catra hesitated to drop into a fighting stance immediately. The soldier, to her credit, did not hesitate. Immediately, she had her rifle up and aimed directly at Catra’s head. 

“Who are you? What are you doing here out after curfew?”

Catra quickly considered her options, and then shrugged and raised her hands to show she meant no harm. “Didn’t know there was a curfew, to be honest. Just passing through.”

“Nobody out here’s just passing through.” The soldier took a few steps forward, squinting to see Catra’s form in the dark. 

“Can’t see to well in the dark, can you kid?” Catra said, conversationally. “Might make it difficult to hit me if I decide to fight after all.”

In response, the soldier took a few more steps forward, which was precisely what Catra had been hoping for. With a few deft movements, she stepped forward, grabbed the rifle by its barrel, and delivered a blow to the soldier’s chest that caused her to stagger back, losing her grip. The soldier came in with a low sweep that Catra hopped over, but the soldier allowed the momentum from the sweep to carry her body around and up into a spinning backfist that Catra only barely got her arm up to block in time. There was a metallic clang and the soldier cried out in pain and alarm, giving Catra time to spin the rifle around and point it at the soldier. The two stared at each other, breathing hard.

“Not bad, kid.” Catra said, after a moment. “You came in too hard, though - didn’t see what you were hitting. How’s your hand?”

The soldier, who had until this moment been cradling her hand, dropped it and stood up straighter, staring defiantly back at her. “If you’re going to kill me, get it over with.”

Catra raised an eyebrow, then grinned. “I’m not going to kill you, kid.” To demonstrate her sincerity, she flipped the rifle around and offered it back to her. “There’s no reason for you and I to fight. I’ve already done what I came her to do, and you don’t have a boss to protect anymore.”

There was a moment of confusion on the soldier’s face, and she took a step back as realization hit. “You’re… you’re  _ her _ .”

Catra’s arm was starting to get tired from holding the rifle out, and it seemed like the soldier wasn’t going to take it, so she let it drop. “Who am I?”

The girl spoke in a small voice. “The Commander of the Horde. Hordak’s Right Hand. You’re supposed to be dead. That’s what they said.”

“Well,” Catra said, gesturing at her eye and arm, “they were partially right. But it’s just Commander now. I don’t work for the Horde.”

Confusion again. “Then why…?”

“Did I kill the administrator here? I was paid to. Plus, I don’t think anyone will miss him that much.” Catra leaned in, maybe a little too close, almost daring the soldier to hit her. “I mean come on, was this what you signed up for? Guarding some asshole in a border town, watching him abuse his power, all because someone above you decided that as long as he claimed to be against the Horde it was okay?”

The soldier stiffened. “Those were my orders.”

“And you’ve carried them out. But eventually,” Catra said, quieter now, “eventually, those orders are going to ask you to do something abominable, and they won’t say why. And if you fail, they’ll leave you. And if you succeed, they’ll bury you so nobody will know they told you to do it. Because they’re supposedly the  _ good _ guys, remember? When that happens, you’ll have to decide where your loyalties lie - either with your comrades, or with the mission, or maybe to an ideal.”

“Why are you telling me this?” 

Catra thought about this for a while. Eventually, she said, “Because not knowing almost killed me, and you’re a good soldier. You’ve got potential - and I need soldiers like you.”

The soldier’s eyes narrowed. “If you think I’m going to join the Horde…”

“The Horde tried to kill me.” Catra said, rolling her eye in exasperation. “I’m building something different. If you’re interested, find me. Ask around, find out who hired me, and get in touch. But for now…” Catra tossed the rifle back to the soldier, “you’ve got a choice to make. Go check on your comrades, or shoot me.” 

Then, in what she was sure was the dumbest thing she’d ever done, Catra turned her back on the soldier and took off down the road, heading for the settlement wall. Fortunately for her, the soldier hesitated just long enough for Catra to disappear back into the darkness. Within a few minutes, Catra was outside the walls and on her way to the exfiltration point. A quick call summoned the skiff, and Catra climbed aboard.

The pilot looked back as she strapped into a seat. “Commander! How’d it go?”

“Success. Have our representative make contact with the clients and make sure they hold up their end of the deal.” She keyed the radio, calling Scorpia. “Scorpia, we might have someone asking around about the company soon. I assume you’ve got a way for them to be vetted before we go bringing them out to the facility?”

“Come on, Commander, I know you trust me more than  _ that _ .” Scorpia replied. “We’ve got a few false fronts set up that they’ll come in through. After we’re sure they’re not a threat, we bring them out.”

“I knew I could count on you, Scorpia,” Catra said, grinning to herself, “We’re on our way back. See you in a few.” Clicking the radio off, Catra looked back in the direction of the settlement. “Good luck kid,” she muttered, “You’re gonna need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the part where I admit that coming up with a way for Catra to recruit people that didn't involve like, strapping fultons to them and then essentially interrogating/brainwashing them into service or whatever the precise mechanics in MGSV (and Peace Walker) are took a shocking amount of thought. In the end, I figured her charisma would do the work. It gave me a chance to have Catra feel sad about Adora for a bit too, so you _know_ I had to take that opportunity.
> 
> Anyway, this is also the part where I say "oh shit I have to finish some stuff on the not-fanfic thing I do if I'm going to stick to my schedule for that, so this is probably gonna go dark for a month or so."
> 
> As always, your comments and kudos and just, you know, silent watching without commenting or kudosing are tremendously appreciated.


	9. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora runs into some old friends.

When Adora woke, she wasn’t sure to be disappointed or not that Catra was gone. She was also dreadfully thirsty, and her side felt awful. There were also, damnably, the sound of footsteps approaching, which meant she needed to be up and back on the run quickly. She downed some water and started moving, wincing at the way her bandages shifted and tugged at the wound. They’d loosened while she slept, apparently, but there was no time to fix it. 

In fact, there was no time to leave either, as she discovered. When she exited the building in which she’d taken shelter, she ran almost headfirst into a group of three Horde soldiers. Instantly, she dropped into a fighting stance and, with a confidence she did not feel, shouted, “I’ve already killed four of you. I don’t want to kill more.”

The shortest of the Horde soldiers cocked its head to one side, then reached up to remove its helmet, revealing the familiar face of Lonnie. 

“Adora?”

Adora stepped back in surprise. “Lonnie? You’re a tracker?” Then she shook her head and was back to her threatening posture. “I’ll still kill you if I have to. Don’t make me.”

Lonnie, in response, raised her hand and the two other soldiers removed their helmets as well, revealing the faces of Kyle and Rogelio. “Of course we’d run into you,” Lonnie said, sighing, “It’s been that kind of day.”

“Hi Adora!” Kyle said, waving. “We’re deserting!”

A light clicked on in Adora’s brain. “You’re who they were talking about. Catra’s old honor guard.”

Lonnie rolled her eyes. “Honor guard? They’ve been gone for weeks. We’re just grunts, same as always. You really think they’d make Kyle an honor  _ anything? _ ”

This earned a displeased noise from Rogelio and, in spite of herself, a chuckle from Adora. Then, because she had to ask, because if she didn’t ask she’d never forgive herself, she asked the question she didn’t want to ask. “Is it true? About Catra, I mean.”

A look passed between the three deserters, and Lonnie’s expression became decidedly uncomfortable. “I… uh, yeah. I mean, yes. She’s uh. She’s gone.” Then, upon seeing the way Adora’s expression crumpled, she hastily added, “Sorry.”

Somehow, Adora managed to control the shake in her voice. “Thanks. I heard some soldiers earlier and… I had to be sure.” Then, perhaps luckily, a twinge in her side caused her to wince and briefly distracted her. Lonnie peered closer. 

“You’re hurt.”

“I told you,” Adora said, gritting her teeth, “I killed four trackers yesterday. Wasn’t a perfect performance, though.” 

Lonnie gestured to Rogelio, who unslung his pack and pulled out some bandages. “We’ll patch you up. We’ve got better odds of getting out of here if we stick together.”

Adora waved him off. “I’ve got my own supplies. I’ll take care of it.” 

Lonnie rolled her eyes. “Four years and still gotta prove you can do it all by yourself, huh?”

“I just… you don’t need to worry about me.” Adora said, defensively. “I’m fine.”

“No she isn’t!” Catra said, appearing perched on Rogelio’s shoulder. “Oh wait, they can’t hear me. Accept the help, Adora. I thought you were past this.”

Adora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, she nodded to Rogelio. “Sorry. Thank you for the help.”

Lonnie looked at Adora with a piercing gaze, as if she’d heard Catra’s voice. “Glad you’re seeing reason.” she said, finally. 

Rogelio quickly had the old bandage off. When he saw the cauterized wound, he clucked disapprovingly, and began to properly clean the wound. Adora bit back a hiss of pain and, to distract herself, asked Lonnie another question. “Do you know where you’re going? I can get you to a Rebellion settlement, they’ll put you up as long as you’re cooperative.”

“We’re not going to the Rebellion.” Lonnie said, a little curtly. “No offense, but… I don’t think some grunts are going to be get any kind of a warm welcome over there.”

“Then where are you going?” Adora asked, confused.

“Somewhere else.” Lonnie said, a little too cryptically for comfort.

“Somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else. There’s... “ Lonnie paused, as if debating how much to say. “We aren’t the only ones leaving the Horde. There have been quite a few since Catra died.” Adora winced, either from hearing the words or from Rogelio’s ministrations, as Lonnie continued. “There’s a place for us, or so the rumors say. Away from this war. Away from fighting battles we don’t want to fight. Where we can choose to be soldiers. Supposedly.”

“So you’re chasing a rumor?”

Lonnie shrugged. “It’s only a rumor if it turns out not to be true. But last week I ran into a fellow I’d not seen since Catra died while out on patrol. He’d been there, and was back here recruiting.”

“Recruiting?”

“Well, more like he’d heard people were defecting and wanted to offer assistance. Same thing if you ask me.”

“So where are you heading, then?”

Lonnie gave an almost apologetic look. “I can’t tell you.” At Adora’s quizzical look, she clarified. “That’s part of the deal. You’re uh, not exactly unaffiliated. The price of entry, so to speak? It’s leaving your old loyalties behind.”

“You think I’m a threat?” Adora said, curiously. “Why would I be a threat?”

Lonnie shrugged. “You aren’t really a threat, but… you telling the Alliance there’s a group of ex-Horde soldiers running around with no affiliation and hey, here’s their location is a threat.”

“The Alliance wouldn’t -”

Lonnie cut her off. “They would, Adora. Whatever you’re about to say they wouldn’t, I can  _ assure  _ you they would. We wouldn’t be left alone, and that’s why I can’t tell you. But until we part ways, it’ll be nice to have you along.” Rogelio finished his work and stepped back. Lonnie nodded approvingly, then looked back at Adora. “So, you coming, or what?”

Adora nodded, and grabbed her own pack. Rogelio had indeed done an excellent job of dressing the wound, and the pain had actually lessened somewhat. “Just like old times, huh?” 

Lonnie snorted. “Yeah, except I don’t have to listen to you and Catra flirt with each other.”

“I never  _ flirted _ with Catra!” Adora said hotly.

“Yes you did.” Lonnie said.

“Yes you did.” Catra added.

Adora crossed her arms and tried not to blush too much. “Whatever,” she said, a little flippantly, “It’s not like it matters now, huh?” As soon as she said it, she felt the loss anew, and her expression soured somewhat. 

Lonnie gave Adora another long look. “Yeah, I guess it doesn’t.” She turned her attention to the others. “Kyle! Stop daydreaming and get that patrol schedule out. We need to know how much time we’ve got to get across the border.”

Kyle saluted and quickly produced the schedule in question. “According to this,” he said, “we’ve got about an hour before the next patrol’s scheduled to come through here. If we hurry, we’ll stay ahead of them all the way to the border.”

Lonnie tossed Adora the helmet she’d been wearing. “I’m pretty sure word of my defection hasn’t gotten out yet, but your face is a little too well-known. If we run into any other soldiers, let me try talking to them before you go all Little Miss Stabbypants on them, okay?”

Adora nodded and slipped on the helmet, and the group moved out at a rapid pace. They walked in silence, mostly, pausing now and again to double-check their bearings. It really did feel like one of their old training missions, except for the obvious absence of their fifth member. Which was, Adora thought wryly, sort of even more accurate, as Catra had a habit of disappearing during their training expeditions to find a spot to nap or some other place to explore.

Lonnie was apparently having similar thoughts, because she spoke up again. “You remember that huge storm we got caught in during training? Out on the open plains with all that lightning around us and Catra just kept cursing at you for refusing to turn back?”

“We were closer to our destination! It didn’t make sense to turn back. She just didn’t want to have to make camp while it was raining.” Adora said, smiling a little at the memory. “I thought she might never talk to me again after that. As it was, I think that’s the angriest I’d ever seen her. Well, until… you know.”

“Yeah.” Lonnie said, quietly. “You know we all hated you for leaving, right? And not just because I had to take orders from  _ Catra _ , of all people. You left us behind with Shadow Weaver. Wasn’t until Catra took her down that things started improving.”

“I know,” Adora said, resisting the urge to shout about how the Horde was evil. “I think that’s what Catra never forgave me for. But I couldn’t go back. Not after I saw what the Horde really was. Not even for her.”

“Hey, you’re talking to someone defecting from the Horde. You don’t need to tell me what the Horde really is.” Lonnie said, holding her hands up. “Hell, Catra knew too. The only difference is that you left, and she ended up trying to make the best of it. You could have done the same, you know. I think that’s what she wanted, even if she never said so.”

Adora sighed. “No, she did say so. Multiple times. And I said so too, but… then I didn’t.” Her shoulders slumped. “Can we please talk about anything else?”

“What,” Catra said,  _ sotto voce _ , “you don’t want to just really open those old wounds again?”

Adora almost forgot Catra wasn’t real for a second, and was glad she was wearing a mask so Lonnie couldn’t see her face. Lonnie, for her part, shrugged and began filling Adora in on the political situation in the Horde instead. “Honestly, I don’t know how they come back from losing Catra. She was probably the best thing to happen to the Horde in ages. Certainly gave Shadow Weaver a run for her money, I’ll tell you that much for free.”

Adora felt curiosity take over, and asked, in spite of herself, “What exactly did she do that made her so… respected?”

This got a laugh out of Lonnie. “I know, ‘respected’ and ‘Catra’ weren’t two phrases I thought would ever go together, but… she implemented better training programs. Ended all the harsh punishments Shadow Weaver was so fond of doling out. It wasn’t just that stuff either; even our food got better with her in charge. She prioritized keeping the grunts,” here Lonnie gestured to herself, Kyle, and Rogelio, “in good health and didn’t send us out underequipped. These rifles we’ve got were developed by one of her crew - they’re easy to keep in working order and you can even modify them with a bunch of crap depending on what kind of mission you’re being sent on. The uh, results are the same as the old weapons too, except without the risk of it overheating and blowing up in your hands. We had actual strategies in combat, and maybe most importantly, she knew when to sound a retreat. Shadow Weaver would just feed us into the meat grinder until she ran out of soldiers.”

“I heard from a soldier that she was trying to end the war.” Kyle piped up. “Like, they said she was gonna convince Lord Hordak to make peace.”

Rogelio made a snorting sound conveying what he thought about the odds of  _ that _ particular rumor being true were.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that one,” Lonnie agreed, “I mean, Catra is… well,  _ was _ , I guess, a great soldier and commander. I don’t know how good of a diplomat she was. At any rate, Hordak’s not ever going to stop until he’s got the whole planet under his boot.”

“So why not fight against him? Why not join the Rebellion?”

Lonnie rolled her eyes. “Gods, did you try giving this speech to Catra every time you fought? No wonder she was always trying to kill you. Look, let me explain this one more time, so maybe you’ll get it: even _if_ the Rebellion was somehow interested in doing anything with a couple no-name Horde grunts beyond throwing us in prison for war crimes, we’d just be tools for another cause, and then what? I have to kill a bunch of my old comrades? I end up getting killed by some Rebellion soldier with a score to settle? I’m _done fighting_ _on other people’s terms_ , Adora. We all are. I want to live somewhere apart from this war, and if I pick up a weapon again it’s because I’ve got something I believe in enough to fight for it.”

Adora frowned, but some part of her knew Lonnie had a point. If not for the fact that the Sword of Protection had chosen  _ her _ , would the Rebellion really have taken her in? Would she have the sort of position she had now - and even with that position, she still found herself getting trotted out at diplomatic events while other soldiers took the risks She-Ra should have been taking.

That seemed to end the conversation, and they trudged on in silence, broken only by the occasional instruction from Kyle. Eventually, they caught sight of one of the border outposts, and Lonnie called a halt. 

“You’re  _ absolutely certain _ you’ve got the patrol schedule right Kyle?”

“Yes ma’am! If we cut across here,” Kyle indicated a spot on the map a few kilometers away, “the patrol from this outpost will miss us entirely. We’d better hurry though - we’ve got a pretty narrow window.”

Lonnie nodded. “Good. If you’re wrong, I’m letting them shoot you.” She looked over at Adora. “Think you can manage a run with that side of yours?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Lonnie chuckled grimly. “Not really.”

Adora nodded. “Then I can manage it.”

It was, Adora thought later, one of the hardest things she’d ever done. They ran for barely thirty minutes, but somewhere in the run her wound re-opened, and she felt her strength sapping from her rapidly. Stubbornly, she kept running, not caring that she was leaving a bloody trail for anyone who cared to follow. They crossed the border without incident, and just to be safe, kept moving until they were well away. Eventually, Lonnie called for another halt and turned to Adora.

“There’s a Rebellion settlement about ten klicks that way,” she said, pointing to the northwest. “I assume you can get in touch with your friends or whatever there. This is where we part ways. If we see you again, well, hopefully we’re not on opposite ends of a battlefield this time, eh?”

Adora nodded, swaying slightly. “Thanks. I uh, I don’t know if I would’ve made it out without you.”

Rogelio hissed and pointed to Adora’s shirt, which was stained a deep red. Lonnie’s eyes widened. “Rogelio, go ahead and patch up the Princess one more time, huh? A final favor. In return, we’d appreciate it if you don’t try to follow us.”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with...” Adora said, and then paused, shaking her head. She saw Catra rushing in to catch her. The world tilted sideways and she hit the ground with an audible thud.

The next day, Adora woke up in a Rebellion settlement’s hospital. She was surprised, when she asked how she’d gotten there, that nobody seemed to remember who’d brought her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Lonnie, everyone! Also those other guys. 
> 
> I don't know why I like the idea of Rogelio as a medic, but I do.
> 
> On a whim, I went through the first mission of MGSV again recently (I got a new video card and wanted to see the pretty pretty lighting effects). I've also been playing some MGS4, which gave me some more thoughts about some other things to add here and there. We'll see how it goes. I still don't have a lot of this stuff worked out, beyond "how do Catra and Adora meet again" and "do they fuck."
> 
> I guess there's some stuff about sticking a Metal Gear in there too. I mean, Adora's got those plans. Probably should've asked Lonnie about them, huh? Guess you were too busy reminiscing and bleeding everywhere. Tsk tsk.
> 
> As always I live solely off your comments and kudos. If you wanna talk about how great Liquid Ocelot making gun noises at the end of Act III is, we can do that too (it's REAL GOOD).


	10. Diplomatic Toolkit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora returns to Brightmoon with everything she brought out of the Fright Zone.

The first thing that happened when Adora landed in Bright Moon was that she was nearly tackled by a teleporting Glimmer. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Adora hugged back, wincing at the pain in her side. “Sorry to cause so much worry. My communicator was broken, so I couldn’t even check in.”

Bow joined in the hug, rushing in with an overly dramatic sob. “We were all so worried!”

Adora savored the feeling of being back with her friends for a moment, before she remembered that she was, in fact, back from a mission. “I need to speak with your mom, Glimmer. With everyone, really. I was right. The Horde’s developing a new weapon.”

Glimmer’s expression turned grim. “She’s waiting for you. Let’s go.”

Queen Angella did not quite manage to hide the relief in her eyes when she saw that Adora was in fact alive and well, or at least well enough to stand on her own two feet. “Adora. Report.”

Adora stood ramrod straight and began speaking, holding her arms behind her back. “Infiltration was successful, and confirmed my suspicions. There is a large effort underway in the Horde to complete the construction of a new type of weapon, being headed up by Lord Hordak personally. The plans,” here Adora dug into her pack and removed the prints she’d taken, “show a mastery over First Ones technology I’ve not seen before. There’s also a reference to a new platform for the weapon - a bipedal system for movement, but I wasn’t able to find any further information on that.”

Angella frowned deeply. “This is troubling news. It seems the Rebellion is once again in your debt, Adora. I’ll have our researches start looking over these plans immediately.”

“Our intel teams should probably see what else they can dig up, now that we know what to look for.” Adora added.

“Of course.” Angella nodded, and then dropped some of the formality in her voice to ask, “How are you holding up? I heard you were wounded.”

Adora mustered a reassuring grin. “I’ve had worse. A little time with the Sword of Protection and I’ll be fully recovered.”

An unreadable expression flickered across Angella’s face, then was replaced with a gentle smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I daresay the Rebellion would find itself in dire straits without you.”

“Just doing my part, your majesty.” Adora bowed low. “If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll get some rest. It’s been a long few days.”

“Of course, dear. I hope you’ll join us later for dinner?”

“You know me, your majesty. I’m not one to miss a meal.”

Angella laughed. “How could I forget? Dismissed, Adora.”

Glimmer and Bow flanked Adora as she walked out of the throne room. As soon as she was back in the palace hallway, she slumped against a wall and exhaled deeply, hand drifting to her still-wounded side. Immediately, Glimmer was there, face full of concern.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Adora reassured her. “Just… tired.” _and grieving, and wounded_ , she didn’t add. “Not being able to become She-Ra was… difficult.”

“Back to a mere mortal, huh?” Bow asked, jokingly. “I can give you tips. The secret is, have a lot of cool arrows.”

“I'm not that good of a shot, really.” Adora replied, and glanced over at Glimmer. “Those daggers you gave me turned out to be useful, though.”

“I should've made you wear more armor.” Glimmer said, frowning, “It would've kept you from getting hurt.”

“Or the extra weight would've made me too slow and noisy, and I would've been in even worse trouble.” Adora said, placing a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. “It doesn't matter. I'm back safe and more or less sound, and we got important information about what the Horde is up to. I'm comfortable calling this a win.”

Glimmer didn't look particularly reassured, but nodded anyway. “Well come on, we'll help you back to your room. You can tell us how the whole trip went, if you want.”

The urge to avoid the topic of the mission entirely had been growing steadily in Adora's gut since she landed. Something about the way Glimmer had reacted to seeing the dead on the battlefield where Catra had died made Adora want to shelter her from it. Like talking about gutting four Horde soldiers might make Glimmer think less of her, or cause her to be frightened of her. Glimmer was, after all, not well-acquainted with fighting up close. Her powers were better suited to ranged combat, where she didn't have to get blood all over her. Adora envied that, sometimes. _But that's how you were trained, Adora. Hand to hand is the basis of all combat, remember? Only a fool trusts their life to a weapon._ Glimmer wouldn't understand.

_Come on, Adora. You're going to drive yourself crazy if you don't talk about this to someone. Hallucinations of your dead friend don't count._

“I… I think that might be good.” Adora said, finally. “At least it will keep me from sleeping through dinner, right?”

The trio headed for Adora's room, where Adora quickly shucked her pack and flopped down on her bed with an audible sigh. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and she let out a breath it felt like she'd been holding for the better part of a week.

“So,” Glimmer said, “tell us everything.”

Adora did not tell them everything. She did detail the approach, and the whole infiltration, but she left out the part about the soldiers discussing Catra's death. When she described her flight from the junkyard, Bow whistled low.

“How many tracker groups do you think they sent after you?”

“Enough to make hiding impossible,” Adora said, “but I guess I'm not sure. I only really encountered one group. That's how I ended up hurt.”

“How big was the group?” Bow asked, ever-curious.

“Just four. Horde trackers travel in groups of four - two in the front, two in the back. I was lucky I managed to get the drop on them.” Adora hesitated, and then went into a recounting of the fight, trying not to notice Glimmer's look of shock. “The last guy managed to get a couple shots off before I got to him. I'm lucky he panicked, or he might have actually done some real damage.”

There was an extended silence after she finished. Eventually, Glimmer spoke up. “Adora, I'm so sorry. That… that can't have been easy.”

Adora felt a flash of annoyance. “It's no different than what I do every time I'm out there as She-Ra. Close combat is just a reality of war.”

“That doesn't make it easier! It's...brutal!”

“If you were going to be horrified by me stabbing people, you should've started four years ago!” Adora snapped. “This is how I was trained, Glimmer! It’s what the Horde made me! I’m a weapon! They’ve taken _everything else_ from me!” There were tears in her eyes now, but she barely noticed them.

Glimmer and Bow both looked back at her, deep concern etched on their features. It was Bow who spoke up first. “Adora, what _happened_ out there?” Hesitantly, he put a hand on her shoulder. “You can tell us.”

Adora, already exhausted, angry, and a million other emotions she couldn’t name, slumped forward, burying her face in her hands. “She’s _dead_.” she finally managed to choke out. “She’s dead, and it’s because of this fucking war, and the fucking Horde, and I couldn’t save her, because she was on the wrong side.”

Understanding dawned on her friends’ faces. “Oh, Adora,” breathed Glimmer quietly, “I’m so sorry. I never… I know she was important to you.”

“Yeah,” Adora said, feeling a deep exhaustion, “she was.”

“We’re going to beat them.” Glimmer said, quietly. “It won’t bring her back, but… we’ll get revenge, at least.”

“Weren’t we going to do that anyway?” Bow whispered, a little too loudly.

Adora let out a huff of laughter. “You’re bad at this.” It felt good to make any kind of joke at all, even if some part of her felt guilty. Hadn’t she just been crying? Adora felt like she might fly apart at the seams any moment, and took a moment to try to pull herself back together.

“Hey, Adora.” Bow said, after a moment. “You’re going to be okay. You know that, right? You’re strong, and Glimmer and I are here for you. We’ll make it through this together, okay?”

Adora desperately wanted to believe him, but something deep within her wouldn’t let her. Still, she appreciated the gesture, and gave a shaky smile. “Yeah. We’ll be okay.” She stood up suddenly. “I should get cleaned up before dinner, huh?”

Glimmer gave her a concerned look. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m only just now realizing how gross all this travel has gotten me.” Adora said, making a face. “I haven’t really had a chance to freshen up since… when I left. The medical center wasn’t particularly concerned with cleaning anything that wasn’t,” she gestured to her side, “this.”

Still clearly not quite buying it, Glimmer nevertheless nodded and stood to leave. “Alright. If you need anything, let me know, okay?”

Adora gave a reassuring smile. “Of course, Glimmer.”

Bow waved and with a cheery “bye, Adora!” headed out. Glimmer gave Adora a hug and headed for the door too. She hesitated at the doorway, and looked back over her shoulder at Adora.

“The Horde hasn’t taken everything from you, Adora. You still have me and Bow. Don’t… don’t forget that, alright?” There was a fragility to her voice that broke Adora’s heart.

“I won’t.” Adora said, her own voice a little shaky. “I promise.”

Adora stripped down and padded into the washroom, where she hopped into the shower and almost immediately felt her muscles relax. For a while she simply stood, watching the water running down the drain move from a reddish brown muck to clear. She focused on the sound of running water, letting the noise blot out thought and feeling, letting her exist in an isolated moment where nothing else existed, where it was impossible to tell if it was tears or just the water from the shower running down her face. She slowly came back to reality, washed, and reluctantly stepped out of the shower. She dressed slowly and deliberately, forcing herself to focus on each motion, stopping her thoughts from running wild.

Dinner was equally relaxing. Adora savored the food, grounded herself in the reality of things, kept the conversation light. Yes, it had been a long time since she'd had good food. No, the rations weren't terrible, they just got old after a couple of days. Yes, she'd been very lucky someone had found her and brought her to that settlement. No, she didn't know who ( _why am I lying? “Because you promised to keep them out of it, remember?”_ ).

At the end of the meal, Queen Angella folded her hands and smiled. “We are glad to have you back, Adora. I'm sure you're tired, so I'll not keep you here with more questions - but before I forget, we have some representatives from one of our larger settlements visiting tomorrow. If you're feeling up to it, I'm sure they'd love to meet the mighty She-Ra.”

Adora knew that she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, and for the first time in a long time, that thought bothered her. She smiled, nodded, and said that of course, she would make the effort to be available. Lonnie’s voice echoed in her head. “We’d just be tools for another cause,” she’d said. _Is that what I’ve become?_ Adora thought. _Am I just a prop?_ She excused herself, claiming exhaustion, and headed back to her room. Sleep came quickly, and when she woke, Adora almost felt like she was back to normal.

The feeling lasted until she had to transform to She-Ra and meet the representatives from the settlements. Queen Angella had implied, politely, that appearing as She-Ra was far more effective in building relationships rather than appearing as Adora, because many would still distrust a former Horde soldier no matter how many years she’d been fighting for the Rebellion. From almost the first moment she felt the rush of power flowing into her limbs, something felt _wrong_ to her. More than ever, she felt the split between herself and the She-Ra… program, she supposed. The wound in her side disappeared, leaving only a phantom pain that reminded Adora of the fact that at one point, for one moment, she’d fought like she’d been trained, using her own skill instead of this _thing_ that took over and used her as a host to programs of combat expertise. These victories were not her own. Her body wasn’t her own in these moments either, not even when she was striding about shaking hands and mouthing pleasantries to representatives, listening patiently as they complained about deserting troops and low morale.

“We really must insist that you _do_ something, your majesty,” one was saying, “our border administrator was _murdered_ , in his room, while guards stood outside the door and did nothing! Now the townsfolk are saying they will not accept a replacement, and have already elected their own leader!”

“If the people have already found a new leader, why would they need a new administrator?” Adora asked, forgetting for a moment that it was not her place to do so.

The representative who’d been speaking, an odious looking man with pasty skin and matted hair, smiled thinly. “Princess, if we allow the people to choose their own leaders, they may choose the wrong leader. They lack the ability to see the big picture, and could even be a Horde sympathizer!”

“But they would likely know what the needs of their community were a lot better than an outsider, wouldn’t they?”

The smile grew even thinner. “The needs of their community are secondary to the needs of the Rebellion. Surely you understand.”

Adora opened her mouth to respond, when Glimmer suddenly appeared at her side. “She-Ra! I’m sorry to interrupt, but something’s come up and we need your input.”

Nonplussed, Adora nodded. “Of course. Excuse me, gentlemen.”

The two teleported away, reappearing in the hallway outside the reception hall. Glimmer looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I thought you were about to kill that guy.”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You’re still making a fist so hard your knuckles are white.” Glimmer pointed out.

“Oh.” Adora said, looking down in surprise. “Thanks, I guess.” She shook her head and, after a second, dropped She-Ra’s form. “What did he mean, ‘they lack the ability to see the big picture?’”

“He means that it’s not someone he has influence over.” Glimmer said, a little acidly. “The administrator was one of his people, which gave him greater say in what went on in the region.”

“So all that about possible Horde sympathizers and ‘the big picture…’”

“Was bullshit, yeah.” Glimmer shrugged.

Adora frowned. “I don’t understand. What does more influence get him?”

“People giving him gifts to gain his favor.”

Adora discovered a newer, deeper level of frown than she’d previously known existed. “So he’s just looking to keep power so he can get more stuff.”

“Pretty much.”

“And we can’t replace him because…?”

“Because,” Glimmer said, in a patient tone, “he has a lot of trade agreements with other settlements, which we need in order to keep our troops supplied. Like I said, politics.”

An unpleasant conclusion was forming in Adora’s head. “So… does that mean we’re going to send in more troops to ‘pacify’ the settlement and put someone else in control there?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It depends on how big of a stink he raises with my mom. If he threatens to pull out of the Rebellion over it, we might have to.”

“If he tries to use us to attack our own people, I’ll kill him myself.” Adora said, feeling a sudden ferocity that was, perhaps not entirely her own. “I won’t let us become the tool of some would-be strongman.”

Glimmer tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her shock at Adora’s statement. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t come to that. We could even send you there to check things out and make an assessment. The word of She-Ra does carry a lot of weight, after all.”

“Of course,” Adora said, managing to keep the bitterness she felt out of her voice, “she’s a valuable propaganda tool.”

“Right!” Glimmer nodded, unwilling or unable to catch Adora’s hidden meaning. “I’ll talk to my mom about it once this stupid meet and greet is over.” She gave Adora’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, I think we can probably get out of here. You’ve put in enough of an appearance, and I know how much you hate this stuff.”

Adora smiled, feeling relieved. “Thanks Glimmer. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Punch visiting dignitaries, apparently.” Glimmer said, giggling. “How about we punch some training equipment instead, huh?”

“You know me so well.” Adora said, feeling her mood lighten.

For the next few weeks, Adora avoided training as She-Ra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the absolutely _shameless_ Metal Gear Solid quoting in this one. I'll do better next time.
> 
> Which, speaking of next time, I guess we'd better see what Catra's up to, huh?
> 
> Someone (namely me) has to set these two on a collision course, after all.


	11. Ground Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra explains things to some of the recruits. Lonnie gets a surprise.

The sound of shouting woke Catra from what had been a fairly restful sleep for once, and it took her a moment to realize she’d fallen asleep in her office, rather than in her bedroom. This had the benefit of meaning she didn’t need to put her arm on before she dashed out to see what the hell was going on. It was, unsurprisingly, a fight between a few of the newer recruits - a former Horde and Rebellion soldier were fighting. The ferocity between the two combatants indicated whatever the fight was about was likely personal, but Catra didn’t care. She was between the two in a flash, and quickly had both combatants dazed on the ground within seconds.

“Enough!” She roared, feeling her anger flare. “Your old conflicts and allegiances mean  _ nothing _ here.” The assembled soldiers looked at her, wide-eyed. “The price you paid to join me was to leave everything behind. You are not Horde, nor are you Rebellion. You are soldiers with no loyalty to any kingdom, any nation, any empire. The Horde and Rebellion took things from everyone here - myself included - but it no longer matters.” 

Catra paused, looking around the group which had swelled in size. She strode over to where the Rebellion’s soldier still sat on the ground and offered her hand to pull them to their feet. “Your only loyalty is to one another. You are not here to fight each other. You are here to fight  _ for _ each other. No soldier here will undertake a mission they do not wish to take. No soldier needs to undertake a mission at all. You will not need to serve under me, but you may serve with me, if that is your desire. If that is not, you can still have a place here, provided you abide by our code and leave your old loyalties behind. That is my only requirement. Now,” she said, breathing heavily, “if you still have a score to settle with the Horde, or with the Rebellion, settle it with me. I’ll be at the training grounds for the next two hours. After that, your anger and your old loyalties are dead.”

Without bothing to wait on any responses, Catra strode off. She arrived at the training grounds and began running through various warm-up exercises. Eventually, a small group of four soldiers arrived. They were, Catra knew, all former soldiers of the Rebellion. She walked to face them, utterly unafraid. 

One, an older-looking man with a close-cut beard and a haunted look in his eyes, stepped forward first. “My wife died in a Horde raid. I was working as a personal bodyguard for a Princess and couldn’t even make it back to our village in time for the funeral.”

Catra nodded. “What was the name of the settlement?”

“Colonia.”

“I remember the raid.” Catra said, after a moment. “It was not meant to be so… aggressive. No,” she said, holding up her hand, “I know it doesn’t help to say so. Come, then. Take your revenge.”

The fight did not last long. Catra allowed him to land a few blows before she took him down with a series of jabs that left him on the ground. She knelt with a surprising gentleness on his throat, and asked, “Enough?”

With a glare, the old man nodded. “I yield.” 

Catra stood, and helped him to his feet. “I expect the same aggression and fire against all other combatants you face.”

The old man staggered off the field, and Catra turned the other soldiers. “Who wants to be next?”

Another soldier stepped forward. The process repeated itself. Catra fought, and fought, and kept fighting. She drew on what felt like a bottomless well of energy, powered by her own rage at herself, at Hordak, at Adora, at the First Ones. By the time the fourth fight was over, Catra was bloodied, but still standing. A crowd had gathered to watch, but nobody else seemed willing to step forward.

Then, just as Catra was beginning to think that was actually it, Scorpia walked forward. Catra couldn’t stop herself from grinning. 

“You know,” she said, “I wondered if you’d show up.”

Scorpia grinned, and gave a somewhat sheepish shrug. “The Horde took everything from me. It took me a long time to realize that. Then they tried to take  _ you _ from me.”

“I know.” Catra said. “Are you ready?”

Scorpia looked concerned. “Are you? You don’t have to do this, you know. It’s not on your shoulders.”

“I know,” Catra said again, “But I made the offer knowing you might do this, and here we are.”

Scorpia nodded, and then charged with a ferocity that almost caught Catra completely off guard. Catra knew that Scorpia was deceptively fast - her bulk was complemented by a speed that was just short of terrifying. Still, Catra had the edge in agility, which allowed her to duck under and out of the way of the first few blows. Catra took her time, carefully watching for any openings - knowing that Scorpia’s claws gave her an enormous defensive advantage. Catra would need to act fast to get any solid hits in. For a while, neither managed to land a hit at all, although Catra did manage to use one of Scorpia’s arms as a boost to somersault over her. Unfortunately for Catra, she’d briefly forgotten about Scorpia’s tail, and wound up having to dodge that rather than take advantage of Scorpia’s exposed back. It was around then that the four previous fights caught up to her, and for a split second she faltered just long enough for Scorpia to land a solid blow that rattled Catra’s teeth. She flew backwards into the dirt, but was quickly back on her feet and circling. 

“Feel like giving up yet, Commander?” Scorpia grinned, evidently having a wonderful time.

“Please, that was barely a love tap.” Catra replied with a grin of her own, and closed to attack once more. This time, she managed to get in under Scorpia’s arms and landed a few blows to her midsection that caused the ex-princess to double over. A vicious uppercut snapped Scorpia’s head back, but she used the momentum to execute a backflip that whipped her tail up and scored a hit up Catra’s side. Catra winced and staggered back, with Scorpia closing to finish her off. Catra’s stagger turned out to be a feint, however, and as soon as Scorpia reared back for a haymaker to finish the job, Catra dove between her legs, rolled, and then pounced right on Scorpia’s back, putting her into a headlock. One foot stamped down on Scorpia’s tail to keep it from moving, while the other kicked out one of her knees, forcing her down.

Scorpia, however, was not so easily defeated, and drove her elbow into Catra’s already-injured side, freeing herself. The battle went until Catra was barely able to stand, having exhausted every ounce of energy. Scorpia went for a finishing blow, then pulled up short.

“Sorry Commander, but I’m going to have to call this off. It wouldn’t be fair to win this way. Besides, I think Entrapta’s already going to kill you for letting yourself get so hurt.” She frowned. “Probably gonna kill me too, honestly.”

Catra bent over, breathing heavily, and flicked her gaze upward into Scorpia’s sheepish face. “Fair enough. How about you and I help each other to the infirmary and we call it a draw, huh?”

“Sounds good to me, commander.”

The crowd of soldiers departed, a few pausing to congratulate Catra on her fights. Catra waved them off. “It wasn’t about winning or losing,” she said to one such comment, “it was about continuing to fight regardless.” 

A familiar voice called out as the duo made their way down the hall. “Catra? Shit, I thought you were dead!”

Catra looked around and, still leaning heavily against Scorpia, waved to the just-arrived Lonnie. “Sorry to disappoint. I’d give you a tour, but I think Scorpia and I have a date with the infirmary and her sure-to-be-angry partner. You can come yell at me for being alive later.”

Scorpia called over a few soldiers and had them show Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio to the barracks. Entrapta was, as suspected, fairly annoyed by Catra’s decision to fight recruits.

“I know you had a successful mission and all, but you’re still technically recovering. Plus, I  _ just  _ patched you back up.” She rummaged through the supplies for a needle and thread. “I’m more of a machinery person - all this blood makes my skin crawl.”

Catra rolled her eye. “You know we had some medics arrive recently. You could have them patch me up if you dislike it so much.”

“Nonsense! This is excellent practice!” Entrapta waved her hand dismissively. “And it will remind Scorpia not to do this again, because I'm going to do her stitches without anaesthetic.” When Scorpia blanched noticeably, Entrapta added, “That was a joke. Although, I am going to kill you if you do this again. I know the common wisdom is that women are into scars, but I'm not that into them so stop collecting them, got it?”

Scorpia gave a sheepish nod, which seemed like the response Entrapta was looking for. Catra winced as a deep cut was sewn up, but the process was over fairly quickly. Entrapta stepped back, looking satisfied with her work. 

“How did the hand work out for you? Any damage to that?”

Catra raised the hand in question, offering it for inspection. “Seems fine to me. Probably a good thing I didn't have the clawed version on for this, to be honest.”

“The claw variant is  _ made _ for hand to hand combat. Honestly, I would've preferred it. This one's not as sturdy.” Entrapta peered closely at the hand. “Run through the routine for me, please.”

The routine was a series of finger motions which Entrapta had taught Catra for diagnostic purposes. Catra performed it dutifully, one round slow, one fast. 

Entrapta hummed to herself. “Ring finger's a bit sluggish. Maybe some minor servo damage. I can take care of that in a jiffy. Scorpia, can you grab the - ah, yes, that's it. Thanks.” Entrapta made some adjustments to the knuckle joint and seemed satisfied. “Okay, run through it again.”

Catra obliged, noticing Entrapta’s delighted expression as she did so. “Better?”

“Yep! You’re lucky I’m so good at this.” 

“Good.” Catra stood up from the table, still feeling a little shaky. “I’ve got some job offers to look over. Scorpia? See me once Entrapta’s had a look at you.” She headed for the door, then, because she couldn’t resist, added, “Entrapta? Try not to spend too much time ‘investigating’ her, if you could.” A look back at the blush on Scorpia’s face was enough to cause her to burst out in laughter as she exited the infirmary.

As she rounded the corner, Catra almost ran straight into a scowling Lonnie. “Well I’m glad  _ someone _ finds this shit funny, because I sure don’t.” 

Catra raised an eyebrow. “You're going to have to be a little more clear, Lonnie.”

“You’re supposed to be dead!” Lonnie said, jabbing a finger into Catra’s chest. “We mourned you! All of us! The whole fucking Horde! And you’ve been alive this whole fucking time?”

Catra batted Lonnie’s hand away irritably. “I didn’t have much of a choice, Lonnie. Hordak wanted me  _ dead _ , you think I was gonna just walk back into the Fright Zone and ask how everyone was doing?”

There was a long pause. Lonnie blinked in surprise. “Hordak wanted you dead?”

“Yeah, he did. Entrapta heard him giving orders to a tank crew to take out my command vehicle. Said I was a threat to the stability of the Horde, and they bought it.” Catra seemed a little confused. “I kind of figured that was why you came here.”

“No, I just… didn’t trust the changes you made to stick around.” Lonnie said. “Heard there was a place where we could go, and off we went.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here regardless.” Catra said, grinning. “For starters, Entrapta could probably use Rogelio’s help in the infirmary. Plus, you know, I didn’t  _ completely _ hate you guys.”

“Speaking of people you didn’t completely hate,” Lonnie said, casually, “We ran across your girl while we were leaving the Fright Zone.”

“She’s not ‘my girl.’” Catra snorted, trying to ignore the way her heart jumped. “The hell was She-Ra doing running around the Fright Zone?”

“No idea,” Lonnie said, “But she wasn’t She-Ra, and she’d killed a squad of scouts. She was wounded, too. Rogelio patched her up.” 

Catra made a mental note to thank Rogelio later. “Interesting,” she said, somehow managing to keep her voice from shaking, “did she give any indication as to what she was doing there at all?”

“Whatever she’d done, she was leaving the Fright Zone when we ran into her. We helped her get out and left her at a settlement near the border after she collapsed on us.”

Catra realized she’d been digging her claws into her palm to stay calm as she listened to Lonnie, and covered up the fact by bringing her hand up and coughing into it. “A shame she didn’t say what she was up to. We could use any information on Rebellion activities we can get.” Deep in thought, she almost forgot Lonnie was still standing there. “Maybe one of our intel teams heard something…” 

“Uh, what?” 

“Hmm?” Catra snapped back to reality. “Oh, uh, don’t worry about it. Do you have any ideas on what you want to do here?”

“Figured I’d maybe join up with the foraging and farming team.” Lonnie seemed almost embarrassed to admit. “Not for nothing, Catra, but I’m not much of a fan of fighting.”

“Hey,” Catra said, laying a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “We don’t make anyone fight here. Your contribution to the cause is appreciated no matter what it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some more work to do.” 

With a sort of half-wave, Catra strode off the hallway. Just as she was about to round the corner, Lonnie called after her. “She asked about you, you know. Wanted to know if the rumors were true or not. Took it pretty hard when I told her you were, well, you know.”

Catra froze, and stood there for a while. After a few seconds, she sighed heavily. “Probably for the best. I don’t think she’d understand what we’re doing out here.”

If Lonnie thought differently, she didn’t say so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter, mostly because the scenes all flowed together and then I got to the last line and was like "well that seems like a good place to stop" and tried starting a new scene and it just felt like a _bad plan_. So you get this chapter instead, and we'll stick with Catra and the gang for another chapter.
> 
> A lot of cool ideas floating around there in the comments! Fun conversations! It's where all the cool kids hang out! I am legitimately flabbergasted by the amount of comments and kudos and general support for this thing I'm doing, which is to say 'writing very conceptually silly fanfic that takes itself seriously.' Like, legitimately I am deeply flattered and humbled and boy it's a good thing nobody's drawn fanart of this because then I might Actually Die.
> 
> I'm going to go play through Ground Zeros again now, I think, because I beat MGS4 over the weekend and man, I love Peace Walker but I hate having to boot up my PS3.


	12. Organization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia has some ideas. Catra gets a little catharsis. The recruits prove useful.

“Remind me again why I decided this was a good idea?” Catra groaned as she attempted for the hundredth time to focus on the supply report sitting on her desk.

A noticeably rumpled-looking Scorpia grinned in what, Catra assumed, was meant to be a reassuring manner. “Because destroying Hordak and rubbing his defeat in the Rebellion's face will be delightful?”

“Hmmm, you've got a good point there.” Catra took another look through the supply report. “So… I don’t actually know what any of this stuff means.”

Scorpia laughed. “It means that currently, we’re bringing in more than we need. That said, we’ve got a fair few people making their way through our vetting process, so I don’t know how long that will last.”

“Still mostly ex-Horde soldiers?”

“Mostly. I don’t think the Rebellion really knows we’re a going concern at the moment. Well, apart from that settlement you went to.”

“Hmm. I guess we can’t exactly go handing out business cards, huh? We’re not strong enough to hold off any attack yet, and we don’t have good enough intel on the Rebellion side yet to give us any advance warning.”

Scorpia looked thoughtful. “You know, some kind of calling card might not be the worst idea… I mean, the only reason we got that assassination contract was a recruit passing through heard some of the villagers talking and made the deal.”

“Enterprising of them. Maybe we send some people out, have them look for work?”

“Way ahead of you there, Commander. Speaking of which,” Scorpia flipped over a few other papers on Catra’s desk. “Here’s a couple job offers we’ve received. This one,” she pointed at one of the papers, “could probably use your personal touch.”

Catra grabbed the paper and scanned its contents. “Are we sure this is real?”

“I had the intel team look into it. I’m reasonably confident it’s not a trap.”

Catra shrugged. “Not like I’ve ever bothered avoiding a trap before anyway. Seem to remember a few attempts by the Rebellion that weren’t particularly difficult to get around.”

“Horde traps might be a little more sophisticated,” Scorpia said, “but I get your point. Either way, the pay’s an awful lot.”

Catra looked over the job description again and shook her head. “I’m surprised the Rebellion’s even willing to hire us. Figured they’d send in some princesses and call it a day.”

“The Rebellion isn’t hiring us. The settlement administrator is kind of doing it behind their back.”

This caught Catra’s attention. “Does the Rebellion even know about the raid?”

“Apparently they do, but they don’t have the resources, or so our client was told, to mount any kind of rescue operation.”

“Guess that means they didn’t tell the right person.” Catra said, snorting. “Adora would have already run off and gotten herself killed or captured by now.”

Scorpia gave Catra a knowing look, but chose to ignore her comment. “At any rate, our intel team has the basic layout of the camp, and there’s supposedly a squad of ten wrangling the ‘recruits.’”

Catra rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “A group like that is likely to be all fiercely loyal to Hordak. We’ll need to be careful to make it look like a Rebellion attack if we don’t want to risk exposing our operation.”

“Would it be so bad to let Hordak know what’s coming?” Scorpia said, unexpectedly. “Give the old bastard something to worry about, and maybe cause some more Horde soldiers to head our way.”

“The point was to work for whoever would pay us, remember? If we make it clear we’re out for revenge, I doubt we’ll be getting any jobs from the Horde.” Catra frowned.

“In that case, you’ve got two options, as far as I see it: Go in and sneak the recruits out without anyone seeing you, or go in and leave no survivors to report back.”

“Sneaking out seems unlikely. We’re talking about kids, after all.”

“So it’s a no survivors situation. Might be wise to bring along some backup.”

Catra grinned. “Are you volunteering?”

Scorpia chuckled. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’ve got a few others in mind too - I figure a team of five ought to be able to do the job, right?”

Catra nodded decisively. “Right. Assemble a team, Scorpia. We’ll hit them tonight.”

The rest of the team consisted of two former Horde soldiers and a former Rebellion soldier - the same one, as it turned out, that Catra had offered a job to during her first mission. Currently, that soldier ( _Aethina_ , she reminded herself, _her name is Aethina_ ) was bleeding from a gut wound while Catra dragged her into cover. She used one hand to apply pressure to the wound, while the other (her ‘good’ hand, as she thought of the flesh-and-bone hand) took aim with her rifle. Glancing down at Aethina’s face, which was drawn tight with pain, Catra did her best to provide some kind of reassurance. “You’re not permitted to die, soldier. Is that clear?”

Gunfire whizzed overhead as Aethina gave Catra a look that seemed to communicate immense pain and annoyance. “I’ve had worse, Commander.”

“Glad to hear it. You keep pressure on that wound, got it? I’ll send the medic back to see to you.”

Aethina nodded, then grimaced. “Go get those bastards, Commander. Pretty sure there’s not many of ‘em left at this point.”

The attack had gone about as well as Catra could have hoped. The skiff had come in low, pulled a dangerous swoop right next to the holding facility, and the five had executed a textbook-perfect combat drop. They’d downed the two guards on duty almost immediately, but the other eight had been a little faster to respond than Catra had expected and were dug in. Scorpia had taken one of the soldiers ( _Leo_ , Catra thought to herself) and was in the process of flanking them. Catra had taken Aethina and Cadence to mount enough of an assault on the front to keep Scorpia and Leo from being discovered until it was too late. They’d picked a few off before a lucky shot had caught Aethina and Catra had left Cadence to keep the fight up while she got her to safety. Now Catra charged back, furious that one of her soldiers had been injured.

Cadence grinned back as she saw Catra approach. “Commander! Got another two while you were away. Should only be three left in there now.”

A scream of surprise echoed from inside the building, and Catra grinned. “Two.” Another scream. “One.”

Then, Scorpia’s voice on the radio, urgent. “Commander, the last one’s holed up in with the kids. Says he’ll kill them if we don’t let him go.”

“I’ll deal with him.” Catra said, simply. “Tell him I’m coming.”

Cadence looked at her questioningly. “You’re not going to let him go, are you Commander?”

Catra shook her head. “No. No I’m not.”

The two strode into the facility, where the bodies of the other guards lay where they’d fallen. Leo was bandaging up a wound to his leg and looked up as they came in. Catra nodded to him. “Aethina’s back by the gate entrance. Go patch her up as best you can and call for evac. I’ll be out with the kids shortly.”

Leo saluted and, after a moment’s hesitation where he glanced back in the direction of the holding cells, headed out. Catra continued down the hallway, ignoring the freshly-stained walls, her mind drawn inexorably back to memories she'd long ignored.

A young, terrified girl, still not quite comprehending what was going on, surrounded by strangers who all smelled different from her family. Nothing but shouting of orders, her arms cruelly bound, shoved down a corridor and deposited in a room with other, equally-terrified and confused children. Unsure of where her parents were, but some small part of her mind comprehending that she would never see them again. She cried herself to sleep that night, and the next morning, when she realized the situation was real, she cried again. Then the training had begun, and tears had only brought punishment, and she’d learned how to keep from crying, how to build a wall between her and the world to keep herself safe.

Until she’d met Adora, anyway. Adora had broken down her carefully constructed wall with little to no effort, and Catra had been so grateful, almost comically so, to have someone that she didn’t have to keep her defenses up around. Adora, who became Catra’s whole world, who didn’t ask questions when nightmares woke Catra up choking back screams, who offered her bed as refuge. The two kept each other sane as their training grew harder, up until the moment Adora left and Catra found herself alone again. Her anger had been so great it had almost consumed her completely, but upon becoming Hordak’s second she’d almost been able to let it go, taking the opportunity to keep others from being the terrified kid in a dirty holding cell.

As Catra’s footsteps echoed down the hallway she felt something dark and angry uncoil in her gut. She’d called a halt to recruiting children almost immediately upon her promotion, and the fact they’d so quickly reinstated the practice was like a slap in the face. Hordak had been waiting, she knew now. How many in the Horde had he let in on his plan? How many had been waiting to go back to their old ways as soon as she was out of the way? Almost unconsciously, Catra’s hand gripped the handle of the knife she wore on her belt.

Scorpia waved Catra over at the end of the hallway. “Commander? He’s through there. Don’t get too close - he’s got one of the kids at gunpoint.”

Catra nodded and stepped inside. The soldier in question looked fairly confident, but that confidence turned to confusion as soon as he saw Catra step in the room. “You? But you’re dead!”

Catra ignored him and directed her attention to the boy who was standing at gunpoint. “Hey kid,” she said, in a soft tone, “You okay?”

The boy looked back over his shoulder at the gun, then back at Catra, and said nothing. Catra nodded understandingly. “Don’t worry,” she said, “you’ll be fine.”

“Good.” The Horde soldier seemed to think Catra had been talking about surrender. “You all lay your weapons down, and-*” He never got the chance to finish, as Catra’s knife appeared in his throat as if by magic. His voice became a series of wet chokes and toppled backwards, losing his grip on the boy. The boy staggered forward, somehow knowing that it would be best if he didn't look back. Catra stood frozen with her hand extended, surprised by her own action.

Scorpia appeared behind Catra and lay a hand on her shoulder. “Wow,” she said, not bothering to keep the admiration from her voice, “nice throw.”

Catra knelt down and beckoned the boy over. “Come here, kid. Where are the others?”

The boy pointed behind him wordlessly, where another cell door stood shut. Catra gave him a pat on the head and walked by him. She swung the door open and was immediately forced to duck as a boot flew over her head.

A young girl who seemed to be the oldest among them seemed responsible for the throw, standing defiantly in one boot with her fists up. “You won’t take them! I’ll fight you!”

Catra took the scene in, feeling for a moment unsure whether to laugh, cry, say something reassuring, or some combination of the three. She settled on raising her hands in surrender and speaking in what she hoped was a reassuring voice.

“Hey, easy kid. Your parents sent me to get you guys out of here.”

The girl’s eyes blazed defiance. “Liar! How can I trust you?”

Catra crouched down, putting herself on the girl’s level. “Because,” she said patiently, “I know you’re smart enough to have heard the sounds of battle outside, and you also can see I’m not dressed like the guys who brought you here. So, what do you think that tells you about who I am?”

Catra could see the girl digesting this information and calculating. “You’re… whoever was attacking?”

“Smart cookie. Now, here’s another question for you: are there any more of you here?”

The girl nodded. “He took one with him. The rest are here. Is… is he gone?”

“Yeah, he’s gone. Your friend is safe, too. I need you all,” Catra addressed the other children cowering in the room, “to come with me as fast as you can, okay?”

One of the kids was clearly not up to walking, so Catra scooped him up. “Everyone ready? Let’s go.”

A group of six children (not counting the one with Scorpia, or the one Catra carried) followed Catra closely. They moved quickly, with only the older girl pausing for a moment to stare at the bodies of the Horde soldiers still slumped in the halls. Catra hoped desperately that Aethina was still alive, as the thought of going back to the base with a dead body in the skiff was thoroughly unappealing. Cadence waved to Catra as she approached.

“Commander! We’ll take it from here. Scorpia’s got an idea she wants to run by you.”

Catra handed the boy off and nodded. Scorpia was inside the facility, digging through an office. “Commander! I’ve got an idea.”

“Cadence said as much. What are you thinking?”

“Well,” Scorpia said, indicating a set of papers, “there’s a good set of intel reports here, including - you’ll like this - an unsent report on a possible sighting of a group of Horde defectors. Looks like we’ll need to tell our recruiters to be a little more circumspect…”

“Scorpia…” Catra said in a warning tone, “You’re rambling. What’s the idea?”

“Right! Well, we’ve already got an intel group out looking for work, right? But what I’m thinking is, maybe we have them try to pick up stuff like these reports here from time to time. Give us a better idea of what the Horde and Rebellion are up to, and maybe help us stay a couple steps ahead of them, you know?”

Catra nodded, looking thoughtful. “How likely is it we end up with dead intel personnel if we do something like this? Having them vet our job offers is dangerous enough; I don’t want to put anyone at risk unnecessarily.”

Scorpia shrugged. “Honestly, intelligence gathering wasn’t my department. Entrapta might be a better person to ask. But it’s probably worth doing, right?”

“Can’t hurt to know what our enemies are up to... “ Catra mused. “We’ll run it by Entrapta, talk to the intel team, see what they think. Now…” she looked around the room, “let’s burn this fucking place to the ground.”

If not for the urgency of having a wounded soldier (who was blessedly stable for now), Catra would have stayed to watch the facility burn to the ground. She satisfied herself with watching until the flames burst out of the roof, then turned and walked calmly back to the skiff. The children were all watching the fire too, although whether they just thought the flames looked cool or they took satisfaction in watching their brief prison be destroyed was anyone's guess. Catra couldn’t help but look back as the skiff shot away, the flames dancing in her eye, feeling an old weight she didn’t realize she’d been carrying lift from her shoulders. She took a moment to savor it before turning her attention back to the mission.

Kneeling in front of Aethina, Catra inspected the job Leo had done on her bandages. Aethina’s eyes fluttered open. “Feeling alright, soldier?”

“Not really, Commander. Can’t believe this is how my first outing went.”

Catra chuckled. “Look at it this way: You’ve gotten it out of the way at least. When you’re back on your feet, you’ll be twice as careful as before.”

Aethina gave Catra a surprisingly piercing look. “That what you did? Came back twice as careful?”

For a second, Catra thought about all the wounds she’d taken in service of the Horde. About the scars that criss crossed her body and the still-healing scars where Entrapta had dug pieces of the command tank out of her body. About the other, deeper marks the Horde had given her, that she’d started to pay back as soon as she’d put flame to the holding facility. Then, mastering herself, she winked. “Didn’t see me get shot, did you?” Aethina laughed, then winced. Catra patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t go anywhere on me now. I’ve got to check on the others.”

It didn’t take too long for the skiff to reach the Rebellion settlement, where a group of villagers warily approached with weapons at the ready. Weapons in this case being primarily repurposed farming tools. Catra couldn’t help but shake her head in disbelief - was the Rebellion really not providing any arms to their settlements? As the skiff touched down, Catra hopped over the side without waiting for the boarding ramp and strode across the field to the group. She pointed to the one who looked most likely to be the leader.

“We have your children. Do you have our payment?”

The leader nodded, and waved over a group of villagers carrying crates. Catra looked over the contents - medical supplies, food, and a few pieces of unidentified First Ones technology - and nodded in satisfaction. She signalled the skiff, and the boarding ramp lowered, allowing the children to rush down into the arms of their (very relieved) parents.

A few villagers seemed to recognize Catra and began whispering to one another. Catra kept her eye on them, unsure if they would make a scene or not. Eventually, one strode in her direction with a stern expression on his face. Catra folded her arms and waited patiently, wearing an expression of indifference.

“I know who you are.” The villager said, in a low tone. “I know what you’ve done.”

Catra stared him down, weighing her response carefully. “Do you?”

“This doesn’t make up for everything you did to us.” The villager said, fiercely. “It doesn’t make up for the friends your attacks killed.”

“No,” Catra agreed, “It doesn’t. But I’m not doing this for redemption.”

Her response seemed to confuse him. “Then… why?”

“Someone needed to,” Catra said, simply, “and I decided it would be me.”

She turned and headed back to the skiff, leaving the loading of their payment to the others. Aethina looked up as Catra boarded, and nodded. “What we did today, Commander... It felt good. I don’t know if I’d ever get the chance to be the hero sticking with the Rebellion.”

Catra snorted. “We’re not heroes, kid. We just happened to look like them today.” _I’m certainly no hero_ , she didn’t add.

“Try telling that to the kids we saved.” Aethina said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s because they’re kids.” Catra pointed out. “Things are simpler when you’re a kid.”

“They weren’t for you, were they? I heard you were recruited like these kids were.”

“Yeah, I was.” Catra said, thinking about how she’d adapted to life in the Horde. “Wouldn’t say things were any more complicated, though.”

“How so?”

“Well,” Catra said, “you either obeyed, or you died. Pretty simple.”

Aethina gave Catra a look, then, one of respect mingled with pity. “Well, I’m glad we were able to spare these kids that kind of simplicity.”

“Yeah,” Catra said, her voice soft, “me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then there are chapters that just kind of go and go and go, I guess. 
> 
> Almost wanted to have Catra do the full "I'm no hero. Never was. Never will be" but they were on a rescue op, and she's not that old, so the end of the line wouldn't have made much sense. I think we'll check in with Adora next. Assassinated administrators might be easy to write off as a Horde op, but a rescue mission run by someone who was recognized as Catra? That might cause a bit of a stir.


	13. Rumors of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora hears a rumor, and finds something she doesn't understand.

It was pure chance that Adora happened to be walking by the throne room when she heard Angella speaking to a messenger in a low and urgent tone. “Adora is  _ not _ to hear these rumors, understand? They would be an unnecessary distraction.”

There was a time when overhearing something like this would not have bothered Adora, and she would have gone about her day. After all, Queen Angella was the leader, and therefore could be trusted to make the right decisions. Today, however, Adora walked into the throne room and asked, “What rumors?”

Queen Angella looked up sharply at the intrusion, but her expression betrayed no annoyance. “Ah, Adora! I was just about to send for you. Our researchers have finished examining the plans you retrieved.”

“Interesting,” Adora said, not willing to let the matter drop that easily, “what rumors?”

Angella sighed, and turned to the messenger. “Would you excuse us?” The messenger bowed and left, and Angella turned back to Adora wearing a patient expression. “There are reports of increased Horde raiding parties. The rumor is that they’ve been trying to carry off children again.”

Adora stiffened. “There’s been no proof?” There was only a flicker across Angella’s face, but it was enough for Adora, who immediately adopted a stronger tone. “Where? When?”

“It’s already been taken care of, Adora.” Angella rushed to reassure her. “The villagers were able to get their kids back, and apparently burned the camp down to boot.”

Adora blinked, surprised. “They did  _ what? _ ”

“I confess,” Angella says, maybe a little too casually, “that I was surprised myself. I had some troops in the area sent to confirm the story, and, well, they found precisely what you’d expect. The children were back, and the base was a burning ruin.”

Adora frowned, thinking. “That doesn’t make sense,” she muttered, “those facilities were guarded by the Horde’s elite. Well-defended. A group of angry villagers with sticks shouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Stranger things have happened, Adora.” Angella said, with a pointed look at the Sword of Protection slung across Adora’s back. “Now, as for those plans you found…”

“Wait,” Adora said, quietly, “why didn’t you want me to hear about this?”

“Because I know your history.” Angella said, soothingly. “I know you were… similarly recruited by the Horde. I did not want you distracted by what is likely not an actual issue.”

“Not an actual issue?” Adora’s voice carried a note of disbelief. “The Horde is possibly stealing children, and you think it’s not an actual issue?”

“It’s not an actual issue because there’s a good possibility it wasn’t the Horde.” Angella said, finally. “You said it yourself - a group of villagers against a fortified Horde facility? It was probably just bandits.”

Adora thought about this, her mind running through possibilities. “With permission, your Majesty,” she said, after a moment’s consideration, “I’d like to inspect the remains of the facility myself. I know the Horde. I know how they operate. If it was bandits, I’ll be able to tell.”

Angella sighed in resignation. “If it will ease your mind to confirm it yourself, I will allow it. But after your last solo effort, I believe it would be better if you took some company with you - bring Glimmer and Bow along with you. Now, if that’s settled, we still need to talk about those plans you brought back.”

“Of course. What have they found out?”

“Nothing good, I’m afraid.” Angella tossed a thick-looking set of papers to Adora. “According to their analysis of these plans, it could completely change the course of this war. If they really manage to build a working version of what’s here, it would completely negate our advantage in a stand-up fight. We’d be forced to fight them conventionally, something we’re just not equipped to do.”

Adora frowned. “I’ve said we rely too much on our powers before -”

“And we were wrong to ignore you,” Angella said, cutting her off,  “but regrets will get us nowhere. Our first priority needs to be finding out exactly when and where this weapon could be deployed, and stopping it from happening.”

“Any leads on where that might be?”

“Unfortunately, nothing yet. What we need is some kind of deployment plan.”

“Any Horde outpost would have deployment plans in its command center.” Adora said, matter-of-factly. “But we’d need to get in there fast, because policy is to destroy everything at the first sign of defeat.”

Angella leaned back, thinking. “Another infiltration mission, perhaps?”

“It’s our best option.” Adora said, shrugging. “I would recommend a distraction to make insertion easier - draw off some of the forces there to reduce the risk of detection. The only problem is, that might also cause them to increase security - and if they know we’ve gotten their deployment plans, they’ll scrap them.”

Angella hummed to herself. “So someone needs to get in, copy the plans, and get out without being detected?” 

“That’s about the shape of it.” 

“I’ll work with our commanders to come up with a target and plan of action while you’re gone.” Angella said, nodding decisively. “Go conduct your investigation.”

Adora nodded and exited the throne room to find Glimmer and Bow. A few hours later they were on their way to the settlement. Adora rode on Swift Wind, while Bow and Glimmer rode in a wagon pulled by a horse who, Adora had assured Swift Wind, volunteered for the job. 

“So what’s the story here Adora,” Glimmer called over, “you think it was just bandits?”

“I doubt it,” Adora said, “though your mother is probably hoping that’s what we’ll find. The alternative is… I don’t know what. Horde soldiers shouldn’t be so easily defeated.Things can’t have gone downhill that fast after… after Catra.” 

Glimmer frowned, thinking. “Our intel team has heard rumors about there being an increase in deserters. Maybe it was them?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Bow piped up, “what would deserters want with a bunch of kids? Unless… are they cannibals?”

“No Bow, they aren’t cannibals.” Adora rolled her eyes. “I feel like I have this conversation with you every week.”

“It's part of my charm!” Bow said, defensively.

“Asking the same question every week is part of your charm?”

“It's a sign of intellectual rigor.”

“More like a sign of a lack of intellect.” Glimmer said, brightly.

“Glimmer! I am  _ wounded,  _ and may never recover.”

Adora laughed, and felt a lightness of spirit for the first time in what felt like a month. Being back on the road with her friends after far too long was good for her - it provided a useful distraction from the lingering grief of Catra’s loss, along with a distraction from the increasing doubts about the way in which the Rebellion was conducting the war. This far along, Adora was increasingly frustrated by the unwillingness of the Rebellion to train more actual soldiers in favor of relying on the princesses. 

It felt, to her, like handing the Horde an easy guide on what to do to win: disable the Princesses and the Rebellion would fall apart - the first battle of Brightmoon had nearly proven that. This was in part why Adora had stopped putting in as much training time as She-Ra, preferring instead to train with the palace guard. Her hope was that the skills she passed on to the palace guard would make their way through to the rest of the rank and file, as many of the palace guard eventually was sent to provide training for new recruits. Adora wished she was allowed to do the same, but her place, she’d been told, was at Brightmoon. 

The settlement was, as Adora expected, a poorly-defended town without even a basic defensive perimeter. She tried not to frown as the three approached, though she did begin compiling a list of recommended fortifications in her head.   
“Hey Adora! You gonna do the She-Ra thing before we get there?” Bow asked, noticing Adora making the face she usually made when she was trying to solve a difficult problem.

“Huh? No, I uh, I think I’d rather go incognito for this, to be honest.” Left unspoken was the fact that if She-Ra showed up, it would bring too much attention and - if the Horde was really operating this far out - it was probably best not to paint a huge target on the settlement again. Left even  _ more _ unspoken was Adora’s desire to not have to play the symbol of hope for just a little while longer. “I’ve got the sword, if She-Ra’s needed, I’ll be ready.”

Glimmer looked at her friend with a flash of suspicion, as if she’d already guessed Adora’s reasoning. “You sure? Having She-Ra around might make them a little more willing to open up to us if there’s something they’re not saying about the attack.”

“What, you think they’ll lie to the Princess of Brightmoon?” Adora snorted. “I think you can handle the diplomacy end of things, Glimmer. I want to get a look at the remains of that Horde outpost before they know what we’re doing here. Swift Wind probably wants to stretch his wings anyway, don’t you?”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Swift Wind said, “but walking is  _ incredibly _ boring compared to flying. I only put up with it because you asked so nicely.”

“And gave you all those apples.” Adora added.

“That too. But mostly it was you asking nicely! I promise!”

Glimmer sighed. “Ugh,  _ fine _ , I’ll do the diplomacy part. But only if you promise to come save me from bland pleasantries if you find anything interesting! Or if you get in a fight!”

“Don’t worry,” Adora said, grinning, “I’ll be back here before dinnertime.”

“Oh sure, leave us to sit through a meeting and show up for the food. Typical!” Bow struck an aggrieved tone. 

Swift Wind spread his wings and leapt into the sky. “The Horde outpost is ten miles to the east of here.” Adora said, pressed close against Swift Wind’s mane as they shot upwards, “Think you can get there within an hour?”

“Oh please, kid, look who you’re talking to!”

They touched down in front of the gates to the facility, which seemed to be the only parts of the structure that weren’t blackened with soot. Adora patted Swift Wind’s neck almost absentmindedly and walked through the gates. She recognized the design of the facility immediately.

“Well,” she said to herself, “if they  _ were  _ just bandits, they picked the right kind of base to bring kids.”

“What’s that, Adora?” Swift Wind piped up from behind her.

“This place,” Adora said, feeling an unexpected heaviness in her chest, “it’s… it’s a holding facility. For new recruits.”  _ It’s where they broke us in, _ she thought.  _ Got us used to taking orders, and not talking back. It’s where I met Catra. _

Swift Wind, possibly noticing Adora’s expression, trotted up behind her and nudged her with his snout. “Uh, Adora? You okay?” 

Adora seemed to come back to herself. “Yeah, I’m fine. Come on, help me look around.”

The dirt crunched under Adora’s boots as she shoved down the ghosts that threatened to overwhelm her and began focusing on the area. The walls were pockmarked with evidence of gunfire, and Adora approached them curiously. She looked at the impact sites, then back at the entryway, then back at the wall. 

“Hey, Swifty.” 

“Yeah?” 

“If you were fighting a defensive action against an attacker, would you leave the building and fire into it?”

“I’ve got hooves, Adora. I can’t shoot anything..”

“Yeah, but if you could, that would be stupid, right?”

“Yes.”

“Just checking.” Adora muttered, making another circuit of the courtyard. “How did the guys Angella send  _ miss _ that?”

“Miss what?”

“Guns, Swifty.” Adora said, as if it was obvious. “The people who attacked this facility had guns.”

“Oh!” Swift Wind said, and then, after a moment, “So what?”

“So,” Adora said, patiently, “either the villagers are hiding a weapons cache in their settlement, or…”

“Or?”

Adora frowned. “Or… I’m not sure. Someone else did this, but who, or  _ why _ , I don’t know.” She knelt to inspect the ground, then looked at the entrance to the building. “Stay out here. I don’t know how stable the building is, so I might need you to go get the others if it collapses.”

“That’s… not reassuring.” Swift Wind said, but did not make any motion to follow her.

The building was in bad shape, but the walls, while blackened, still bore signs of battle. Adora wandered slowly through the corridors, pausing to mark where a body had fallen. The bodies were, courtesy of the fire, little more than bones and ash - and all of the dead, as far as she could tell, had fallen while defending the base. 

“No casualties for the attackers…” she muttered to herself. Eventually, she found herself standing outside the entrance to the holding cells. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and walked through the door.

She was pleased to see the fire had, apparently, burned hottest here. The bars on the cells were melted piles of slag, and the roof had collapsed in from the heat of the inferno, leaving a view of the sky above. There was the shape of what might have been a body before the fire which seemed to crumble away as she walked towards it, the remains of something metal all that appeared to endure the flame. 

Curious, she crouched down to examine it - the metal was warped by the heat, but had maintained its shape well enough that Adora recognized it almost immediately. A Horde knife, usually given to recruits who made it through to Force Commander training. Adora stared at it for a while, thinking. There was a flutter of wings, and Adora looked up to see a crow settle on the edge of the hole in the roof. It stared down at her with what she thought was almost curiosity, then cawed loudly and flew off again, sending some debris tumbling down into the room. Adora took it as a sign that she wouldn't find anything else, apart from more bad memories, and made her way back out of the building. Something - instinct, maybe - made her pause in the hallway outside what would've been the commander's office, and she poked her head in to have a look around. The furniture was charred, though the desk seemed to have weathered the fire surprisingly well. Thinking back to the Rebellion's need for more intel, Adora decided to see if any documents had survived the fire. She was surprised to see the desk drawers had already been opened, and even more surprised to see a complete lack of any documents to speak of. Not even a scrap of paper to indicate something had been there remained. 

_ Someone is fighting the Horde, _ Adora thought to herself,  _ and they aren't us _ . She wasn't sure what to make of that, yet. 

Swift Wind was waiting for her in the courtyard. “Come on Adora, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

Adora looked back at the building one last time, remembering, and then nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How very kind of you all to wait so patiently for me to actually figure this sequence out. I sat on this one for a couple days, I'll admit, because I couldn't quite figure out if it worked or not. I'm still not 100% positive I did it right, but then again, I think that about all the other chapters too so what else is new.
> 
> Anyway, we'll get a chance to see how Glimmer is at playing diplomat next chapter. How's that sound?
> 
> EDIT: Oh fuck me how is this over 30k words what am I even doing with myself


	14. Diplomacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora interrogates. Glimmer practices diplomacy. Things get complex.

The look of relief in Glimmer’s eyes when she spotted Adora landing on the back of Swift Wind was a good sign of how much she’d enjoyed talking to the administrator of the settlement. Adora dismounted and waved to Glimmer, who dashed over and gave her a hug. 

“They’re hiding something.” Glimmer whispered, before pulling back and saying a bit more loudly, “Glad to see you back in one piece! No trouble at the outpost, I take it?”

Adora didn’t react to the news at all, mostly because it was entirely unsurprising, but also because she knew better than to react to this sort of news when they were being watched. “None at all. You and Bow would’ve been bored out of your minds.”

“As opposed to entertained here?” Bow called down from the roof of a building he’d scaled in a desperate attempt to find something to do. “Hey, apropos of nothing, we should probably see about building some actual defenses here.”

“I was thinking something similar.” Adora replied. “At the very least some kind of stockade or fallback position.” 

“Now that your friend is here, Princess,” the administrator interrupted, “would you be interested in joining us for dinner? I’d feel a poor host otherwise.”

Glimmer bowed low. “Our profound thanks, Administrator Laurence. I must insist, however, that you do not go to any extra trouble for us. We are, after all, only servants of the Rebellion.”

“Nonsense! I insist. You and your guards are most welcome.”

At this, Adora made a sign to Glimmer, indicating that she did not wish for Glimmer to clarify just who Adora was. The two had long since realized that it was useful for them, on occasion, to allow Adora to travel incognito. In spite of Adora’s relative openness as to who she was, most people only recognized her as She-Ra. The group made their way into the administrator’s house, where they soon found themselves being served a fairly elaborate dinner. 

“Administrator, I was curious.” Adora said, after a few minutes, “The attack on your village - how did it start?”

“Well,” Laurence said, looking briefly surprised at the question, “It was conducted in the middle of the night. Horde soldiers rounded us all up and took the children who didn’t manage to stay hidden.”

“There was no resistance?”

This earned her a glare from the Administrator. “When you wake up with a gun in your face, resistance is not the first priority.”

“I apologize,” Adora said, not actually sorry in the slightest, “I only wondered whether you had guards to put up any sort of resistance.”

“We are a simple farming settlement. We do not have any guards apart from what the Rebellion chooses to send. Thus far, they have not chosen to send any.”

“And for that I must apologize, Administrator.” Glimmer broke in, “I will see to it that your settlement is better-protected in the future. It is unacceptable that a settlement so near the borderlands should be left so open to raiding parties.”

“We could also offer training to the men who saved your children.” Bow added.

At this offer, the Administrator shifted slightly in his seat before answering. “Ah, yes, that would be… most appreciated.”

“Could we meet them?” Glimmer asked, innocently. “I would like to thank them for their assistance - and to apologize that they were forced to take up arms in the first place.”

“Ah, I do not know if it would be… that is to say, they are focused on spending time with their children at present, and perhaps would not wish to leave them.”

“Oh, they wouldn’t have to.” Adora said, brightly. “When I’m not… guarding the Princess Glimmer, here, I help train the Brightmoon guards. It would be no trouble to at least meet them and give a few pointers.” She paused, debating whether or not to go further. “Their shooting is sloppy.” she finally added, ignoring the way Glimmer’s eyebrows threatened to jump off her head, “Although perhaps they just need training on how to sight their weapons properly. Either way, we’re here to help.”

To his credit, Administrator Laurence managed to not immediately break down into a stuttering mess. To his detriment, he’d apparently decided that the best option was to pretend he didn’t know what Adora was talking about. “I beg your pardon? We have no rifles of any sort here.”

“Ah,” Adora said, feigning confusion, “perhaps they stole them from the elite trained Horde soldiers when they attacked their facility?”

Laurence was all too eager to agree. “Surely that’s what happened.”

“Of course…” Adora went on, ignoring the administrator, “that wouldn’t explain why they clearly had weapons when they approached the facility. Nor would it, I suppose, explain where all the Horde documentation went before the fire was set, or the remains of a Force Commander knife I found in the neck of who, given that I didn’t see any funeral arrangements or mourning here, was clearly a Horde soldier.”

Glimmer drew upon years of being interrogated by her mother to produce perhaps the most piercing stare Adora had ever seen and deploy it squarely in the direction of Administrator Laurence. “Administrator, perhaps it  _ is _ best if we talk to the men who went on that rescue mission after all.”

Laurence wilted. “I’ll… have them summoned.”

Roughly fifteen minutes later a group of four villagers trooped into the house. One in particular stared back at the group defiantly, and Adora immediately focused on him. “When you attacked the outpost,” she asked, “were there sentries on duty?”

“None.” The man replied defiantly. “They didn’t expect us.” 

“Slipped right in the front door before they knew what was happening, I expect.” Adora said, nodding.

“That’s right. We can move quiet when we need to.”

“So all the gunfire that erupted outside the building,” Adora said, airily, “I expect that was just an earlier attack from someone else?”

The man’s frown deepened, and he took a step forward. “Are you saying I’m a liar?”

“That,” Adora said, completely calm, “is precisely what I’m saying.”

He advanced, hands balled into fists, shouting angrily. “How  _ dare _ you! We sent word for help and were told none would come! You don’t get to come in here and act high and mighty, like we’ve done something wrong by taking matters into our own hands! We did what we had to do to get our children back!” 

Adora whirled on Glimmer, an angry rebuke on her lips, but at the sight of her friend’s equally shocked face Adora reined her anger in and turned back to the villager. “And what did you do? You certainly didn’t go rescue them yourselves.” Her voice softened. “Nobody’s in trouble here, we just need to know what happened.  _ I _ need to know what happened.”

The man stared back defiantly. “Not with Princesses in the room.”

“Glimmer,” Adora said, quietly, “can you excuse us?”

Glimmer’s lips set in a thin line, and Adora could tell that she was angry, but she nodded and teleported out, along with Bow. 

“Now,” Adora said, “What happened?”

“After your  _ gracious commanders _ decided we weren’t worth the resources,” the man spat, “we despaired of ever seeing our children again. I advocated going after them, but we all knew it would be suicide. Then, Administrator Laurence intervened.”

Adora looked over at Laurence steadily. “Did he?”

“I had been approached about a week ago,” Laurence said, “and given the means to contact a mercenary group. They claim to be able to help with problems the Rebellion deems… not worth looking into.”

“He means problems the Rebellion refuses to help with.” The man helpfully supplied, a sour look on his face.

“So you contacted this mercenary group.” Adora surmised. “Who are they? If they’re allies against the Horde, we could work with them.”

“I can’t tell you.” Laurence replied, simply. “Part of the terms of our deal was not to reveal anything about them. Which is easy, as apart from clearly being soldiers, I’ve no idea where they came from.”

Adora frowned. “Why wouldn’t they want to work with us?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the angry villager scoffed, “the Rebellion has other priorities that don’t include settlements like ours. What?” He said, in response to a warning look from Laurence, “If she doesn’t know now, she should! The Rebellion isn’t concerned with us, or any other settlement along the border. We’re  _ expendable _ .  _ They _ were willing to help when you people wouldn’t.”

“For a price.” Laurence added. “Food and medical supplies, which we were only too happy to provide. For our children’s return, there was no cost too high.”

“There shouldn’t have been a cost.” Adora said, with a sudden vehemence. “I’m going to fix this. You have my word, Administrator. If it takes me staying out here myself, I’ll see this settlement defended.”

“Quite the promise from a royal guard,” the (now less-angry) settler said with a smirk.

“Trust me,” Adora said, all confidence, “Princess Glimmer listens to me.”

While Adora conducted her interview, Glimmer had teleported out into the streets with Bow and was trying not to sulk too much.

“Hey, look at it this way,” Bow said, after deciding a sufficient amount of time had passed, “Adora will get the information she’s looking for, and we can make sure the place is defended properly next time.”

“I know,” Glimmer groaned, “it’s just… don’t they realize everything we’ve done for them? The Rebellion has been taking the fight to the Horde for so long now, but we can’t be everywhere at once!”

“Honestly Glim, I’m not sure we’d ever have come here if Adora hadn’t overheard your mom talking about it. We’re expected to stay focused on the big picture of the overall war - places like this can get left out of the equation.” Bow did not add, and did not  _ need _ to add, that his fathers were from places like this. 

“Ugh, you’re probably right.” Glimmer sighed. “But shouldn’t we be defending settlements like these?”

“Probably! But we’re going to have to fight with the rest of the war council it’s worth spending resources here.”

“Who cares about  _ resources? _ They almost lost their  _ kids _ , Bow! And the Rebellion wasn’t going to do anything about it!” There was an almost anguished note in Glimmer’s voice. “How are we supposed to call ourselves the good guys after that?”

Bow shrugged. “Hey, I agree with you. I don’t want to see stuff like this going on anymore than you do. But we’ve been ignoring the problem until now - we’re gonna have to take some heat for that.”

“I didn’t even know there  _ was _ a problem until now!” Glimmer said, a little defensively. “It’s not like mom told me ‘Oh hey dear, by the way, our larger military planning apparatus is only too willing to sacrifice  _ children _ in the name of managing our military resources.’” 

“I’m not blaming you!” Bow hastened to soothe her. “It’s just… we’ve kind of been kept away from this stuff, and we’ve been happy not to question it because we’re busy fighting. Maybe it’s time to start asking more questions, is all.”

Glimmer opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a soft, shy voice. “E-excuse me. Are you a  _ real princess _ ?”

The voice belonged to a small boy, who carried a look of awe on his face. Smiling gently, Glimmer crouched down to his level and nodded. “Yep, that’s me. We came to ask about the people that saved the kids who got taken away. Were you one of them?”

The boy nodded seriously. “There was a bad man holding me, and I thought he was going to hurt me, but then the furry lady saved me.”

Somehow, Glimmer managed to not react with anything more than a look of innocent confusion. “Furry lady?”

“Yeah, the furry lady! She had big ears and a tail and she threw a knife right into the bad man’s face! She told me not to look, but,” dropping his voice to a whisper, “I looked.”

“I bet that was pretty gross, huh?” 

“Yeah, I only looked for a second! But then she helped us all get out and all the bad guys were dead, and she  _ set the place on fire _ .” 

“Sounds impressive!” Glimmer said. “Did she bring you back here too?”

“Yup! We got on this thing that was like a boat, except it could  _ fly _ . And it took us back here, and then I got to see my mom and dad again!”

“Well, it’s a good thing she was around, huh?” Glimmer couldn’t help feel a little jealous.  _ We should have been the ones rescuing our own people.  _ “You think she’ll come back?”

The boy shrugged. “I dunno. Dad says she was a bad person, but he thanked her anyway because she brought me back.”

“Do you think she was a bad person too?” Bow asked, curiously.

“No. She was really nice, and she told us all we were brave to survive, and that she wished she could have been as brave as us when she was our age!” The boy seemed like he had more to say, but there was the sound of someone calling and he looked back over his shoulder. “Gotta go! My dad’s looking for me. We’re playing hide and seek, and I still have to hide!”

Glimmer nodded seriously. “Alright, we’ll be sure to tell him we didn’t see you then, okay?”

The boy laughed delightedly and ran off, pointing behind him. “Tell him I went that way!” 

“Deal!” Glimmer said, laughing a little herself. Then, as soon as the boy was out of sight, she turned to Bow and gave him a look. “Furry lady, huh?”

“Yeah.” Bow said, frowning. “We have to tell Adora, right?”

Glimmer chewed her lip worriedly. “What if it’s… I mean, lots of people have fur, right? What if we just get her hopes up and it’s not her?”

“Glim, come on. You can’t seriously be considering  _ not _ telling her.”

“What? No, of course not!” Glimmer shook her head. “I’m just… Adora’s been so  _ distant  _ since Catra died. This trip was the first time she’s actually seemed to relax in ages, you know?”

“Yeah, I know, but still, if there’s a chance it’s…  _ her _ , she’s got to know.”

“I know, I know.” Glimmer groaned. “We’ll tell her as soon as she’s done in there. I just hope it doesn’t end up giving her false hope.”

At that moment, Adora strode out of the Administrator’s house and made a beeline for them.

Bow spoke first. “So? How did it go, Adora?”

“I think,” Adora said, slowly, “things have gotten complicated.”

“Oh, Adora,” Glimmer said, struggling not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, “you’ve got  _ no  _ idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this one was hard to do. I think I scrapped about three different versions of how this all played out - including have someone explicitly refer to Catra as the leader - before deciding to deny Adora complete certainty. Then again, how many furry soldiers has Adora known anyway?
> 
> I feel like I've said this a lot recently but boy do I have no idea what the next chapter is going to look into. There are things, obviously, to get to - it's just a matter of which one I want to focus on. 
> 
> What if I just skip to them banging in Catra's quarters and we call it good?
> 
> Don't answer that. I've got too many Metal Gear references to shoehorn in before we get to that.


	15. Recon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra gets sick of staying hidden, and acts a little more openly. The Horde lays a trap. The Alliance makes a move.

"Why are you here?" Catra asked, her eyes wide with surprise. 

The light from the hallway framed Adora, standing with a nervous look, one arm crossed nervously over her chest and clutching her elbow. She worried her lip with her teeth a little (and Catra did  _not_ focus on her lips, thank you very much) before speaking. "I came to find you. I had to."

" _Had_ to?" Catra raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her her chest and adopting a decidedly authoritative air. "You've never  _had_ to do anything. You never even had to  _try_."

The hurt on Adora's face was everything Catra thought she wanted to see. Eyes downcast, Adora quietly murmered, "I'm sorry - for everything. I should've seen what Shadow Weaver was doing to you. I should've brought you with me from the beginning instead of leaving you behind and then not coming back. I should have... I should have done a lot of things."

"But you're  _sorry_ , right?" Catra could feel her whole body shaking with rage. "You're sorry and so it doesn't matter, never happened, I welcome you back with open arms?"

"No," Adora said, shaking her head sadly, "I don't think that's how this goes. I didn't come here to ask for forgiveness, I just... I had to see you again. I know," she raised a hand to cut Catra's outraged exclamation off, "It's shitty and selfish of me. But I've gone so long without you, and I can't do it anymore. I just need you to know that in spite of everything, all the pain we caused each other... I never wanted to lose you."

"Why not?" Catra said, knowing the answer but desperate to hear it anyway.

"Do you really not know?" Adora said, softly. "Catra, I love you. I've loved you for... who knows how long."

Catra advanced slowly across the room, purposefully. Adora held her ground, holding Catra's gaze fearlessly, with only a slight tremor in her posture betraying her nervousness. Catra's hand reached behind Adora's back slowly, and her breath hitched. A smirk grew on Catra's face as she grabbed the doorknob and shut it, leaving Adora sandwiched between the door and her. Their faces were impossibly close, and Catra was briefly dizzied by the smell of Adora - precisely as she remembered her. Taking a deep breath, Catra closed the distance between them even further, until she could feel the moisture from Adora's breath dancing across her own lips. 

"You love me?" Catra whispered, her voice low and almost dangerous. The hand that had shut the door was now wrapped around Adora's waist, the other weaving its way through Adora's hair, pulling back ever so gently. 

She had to strain to hear Adora's answer, a half-whimpered "Yes" as she stared into Catra's mismatched eyes, pupils blown wide.

"Show me." Catra said, and closed the final distance between them, kissing Adora fiercely, sending lightning racing through her body as Adora kissed back. It was everything she dreamed it would be. It was more than she dreamed it would be. It was too much.

The speed with which Catra lost control of the situation surprised even her, as suddenly she seemed to be naked on her bed, at Adora's mercy. Adora locked eyes with Catra as she loomed over her, golden hair spilling down and tickling Catra’s nose. Catra stared back reverently, eyes taking in every detail of Adora’s body as if it would disappear without constant observation. Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt the brush of Adora’s hand ghosting down the side of her face, and she leaned into the touch instinctively. Adora’s other hand sunk into the mattress just above Catra’s shoulder, and there was a smirk on her face that Catra wanted nothing more than to wipe off. She moved to kiss Adora, but suddenly Adora’s hands were pinning her to the mattress. Slowly, torturously, Adora brought her face down just next to Catra’s ear, her breath tickling as she whispered to Catra.

"You asked me to show you. Let me show you.”

Adora’s mouth moved down to nip at her neck and all Catra could think of was how much she needed Adora to not stop what she was doing. A sound that might have been "please" and might have been "Adora" escaped her throat, and she gasped. She reached out to grab something for support, and felt one hand come in contact with the familiar texture of Adora’s hair as she worked her way industriously down Catra’s torso, pausing here and there to deliver a nip or soft kiss that made Catra’s back arch and a groan escape her mouth. When, after a delirious eternity, Adora finally reached her destination and Catra felt Adora’s tongue flick against her, one hand fisted into Adora’s hair, while the other flailed around and eventually settled on grabbing the metal bars that served as her bunk’s headboard - except she couldn’t, because her hand merely passed through, because she didn’t have a hand. As soon as the thought flitted through her mind, Adora vanished as if on command, and Catra woke, sweating and unsatisfied, with a curse. 

At Scorpia’s insistence, she’d sat out the last several ops. The Rebellion seemed to have realized there was a third player in the war, and Scorpia suspected they would be aggressively seeking its rumored leader. There was, in other words, a risk of Catra’s capture, and so, Scorpia argued, they needed to be careful.

“After all,” she argued, “this operation falls apart if you’re captured. You’re our leader!”

“I don’t _want_ to be a leader, I want to be in the field!” Catra exploded, slamming her prosthetic fist into the wall. “I don’t want to just be some symbol on the sidelines, watching _my_ people take the risks. I’m not fucking Hordak.”

“We’re not making you Hordak, Commander, but you have to understand, we’re still in our infancy. Our numbers are growing, but the men are coming here because of _you_ . They’re fighting for _you_.”

Catra sighed. “I know, I know. But you can’t expect me to just sit here behind a desk and occasionally train the men.”

“Hey!” Entrapta stuck her head in the office. “You’re not going to believe what just came in.”

“Another contract?” Catra said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh. Yeah.” Entrapta looked crestfallen for a moment, but then brightened up again. “But you won’t believe who it’s _from_.”

“A Rebellion settlement?”

“Nope! A _Horde_ _outpost_.”

Catra raised an eyebrow. “What’s the job?”

“Assassination! Except like, more of an assault.”

Catra blinked slowly. “I don’t follow.”

“Neither do I.” Scorpia added helpfully.

“Okay so, the job is from some low level soldiers. They want their entire command structure gone, but they can’t afford to have it look like any kind of assassination, so they want us to stage a Rebellion attack on the base, during which the command structure will suffer from unfortunate fates.”

“What’s the problem with their command structure?” Scorpia asked, cocking her head to one side.

“That’s where it gets _interesting_.” Entrapta said, grinning. “You see, the outpost is full of people who don’t like the direction the Horde’s been going since you ‘died,’ Commander. The outpost commanders, though, are all loyal to the core - and what’s more, they’ve been talking about how the outpost is going to serve as the testing ground for a new weapon.”

Catra whistled low. “New weapon, huh? Like, the sort of weapon we could steal?”

Entrapta nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! Plus, I think it’s probably just one of my old designs.”

“Which old design, exactly?” Catra asked, trying not to appear too troubled by the prospect.

“That’s something you can find out for me! I don’t know how much progress they could have made on the cannon, but maybe the proposed mobile platform?”

Catra sighed. “The walking tank?”

“That’s the one!”

Another sigh. “Well, great. Great!” Catra looked over to Scorpia. “Hey, do I have your permission to go on this one? It seems like the sort of thing I should go on. None of the other men are really… you know, _good_ with Entrapta’s experiments.”

Scorpia didn’t look thrilled, and it was difficult to tell if it was Entrapta’s cheery admittance that she’d left the plans for the walking tank when she left, or it was Catra’s cheeriness at the idea of heading out into the field where there was a good chance she’d be killed or captured. Then again, Scorpia was smart enough to realize that the longer Catra was cooped up, the greater the odds of her doing something _really_ reckless would be. “Of course, Commander. You know you don’t need my permission, right?”

“Yeah, but I know it makes you feel better.” Catra grinned, already heading out the door to begin assembling a strike team.

Several hours later, Catra was riding an out-of-control Horde bot as it careened in the general direction of a group of Horde soldiers, laughing wildly. At the last second, she sprang off the bot’s back, allowing it to crash into their ranks, landed in a roll, and sprang up already firing her rifle. The rest of the strike team was pressing hard, and the Horde soldiers - who Catra assumed were her clients - were putting on a good show of resistance while still falling back to the command center. Once their backs were against the wall, the soldiers threw down their weapons, leaving the entrance to the center open.

“What defenses are in the command center?” Catra demanded of one of the soldiers.

The soldier wordlessly handed over a set of schematics. “Standard procedure is to fall back to this location.” he said, pointing on the floor plan. “They’ve probably triggered the lockdown - the code to lift it is 0451.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Catra drawled, and signalled to a squad to enter the building with her. Another two squads remained outside - Catra had given instructions to watch their clients in the event things turned out to be a trap.

It did not, as it happened, turn out to be a trap. The command crew was downright flabbergasted when their supposedly impregnable doors slid open and Catra’s squad opened fire. To their credit, Catra thought, the idea of surrendering never seemed to enter their minds. She waved over one of her soldiers.

“Search this area - they might not have had time to destroy their intel yet.” The soldier saluted smartly and gestured to the others, who moved in and began systematically tossing the area.

Something itched at the back of Catra’s mind. Yes, the majority of the soldiers had been putting up only token resistance, but the whole base seemed understaffed to her - particularly one that was meant to serve as a test site for a new battle platform. Frowning, she headed back out to where the Horde soldiers were waiting.

“Hey,” she said, pointing her finger at one of them, “where’s the rest of your people?”

“All those loyal to our cause are here,” the soldier replied, “those more loyal to the cause were uh, ‘volunteered’ for special detail. They departed two days ago.”

“What special detail?”

“Plans to capture a Rebellion spy. We leaked reports of a new battle platform we know the Rebellion to be interested in. There’s an increased guard presence throughout the area that should funnel any intruders into an area where the detail will pick them up.”

“So the weapons platform was never coming here?”

“Come here? That damn thing can’t even walk upright yet, if the rumors are true.”

Catra hummed to herself. “All this trouble to catch a spy? I didn’t even know the Rebellion _had_ spies.”

“You’ve been away,” the Horde soldier said, giving her a look, “but the Rebellion has not been idle. There was a spy slipped into Horde high command not too long ago - killed a full squad of trackers who were on their trail, to boot. There’s even a rumor it was a _princess_.”

Catra kept her face impassive. “Took them long enough to start valuing espionage operations. Pity about the platform, though - it would’ve more than covered our fee.”

“Fortunately for you,” the soldier said, smiling, “we still have the other equipment and supplies we promised instead.”

Catra grinned back. “Good. Have your people bring it around and we’ll load it ourselves.”

“Commander,” the soldier said, hesitantly, “we’d love to have you back, you know that?”

Catra sighed. “That isn’t an option anymore, and you know it. Your men are free to join me, if they wish, but I’m only coming back here one way.”

“Dead?”

“Standing on Hordak’s corpse.” Catra clarified. “After that… we’ll see.”

The soldier didn’t seem like he particularly liked the answer, but he nodded in understanding. “When the time comes, Commander, I hope we’re not facing you.”

“Me too. I would hate to have to fight a former client.”

“Fair enough.” The soldier nodded, and gestured to the others to begin retrieving Catra’s payment.

The outpost became a swarm of activity, as the remaining Horde soldiers and Catra’s people began hauling out crates of medical supplies and other materials. Catra watched the proceedings, trying not to fret. There was no doubt that Lonnie’s encounter with Adora - and the dead scouts - meant Adora was likely the spy in question. What’s more, if Adora happened to have scoped the plans for Entrapta’s battle platform, and the Rebellion was now interested in it, she’d probably be the one leading any sort of effort to find out more about it, which meant that Adora was, in all likelihood, going to walk into a trap - if she hadn’t already done so. Sighing, Catra headed for one of the skiffs, where she grabbed the communicator and contacted Scorpia.

“Commander! Something you need?” Scorpia’s voice crackled over the headset.

“No, the mission was a success. We’re loading our payment and should be headed back your way shortly. There’s something I want you to have the intel team look into.”

“What’s up?”

“One of the soldiers here told me the Horde’s got a counter-espionage operation going on. I want to know about the results - if they capture or kill any Rebellion operatives, that’s a need we can fill for them in the future.”

“You think we should contact the Rebellion leadership directly?”

“Hell no! But there’s sure to be some industrious Rebellion commander out to prove themselves that might not look down their nose at assistance from an outside source.”

“Not bad, Commander. You’re starting to show good business sense.” Scorpia sounded almost _proud_ of Catra. “I’ll make a Commander out of you yet.”

“Gods, I hope not.” Catra said, grimacing. “Just get the intel team on it, could you? I feel like time is going to be a factor. If the Rebellion’s got any smarts, they’ll make a move sooner rather than later.”

“So on the Rebellion’s timetable, that should be sometime in the next couple of months, right?” Scorpia laughed. It had been a running joke among Catra and her that the Rebellion’s command structure was ridiculously slow to act on obvious threats.

Catra snorted. “Probably. We should keep an eye out either way.”

“Of course, Commander. I’ll contact our people before you get back.”

The sound of excited shouting drew Catra’s attention away from the comms, and she looked back at the base in brief confusion. The soldiers she’d directed to search the command center were heading in her direction, calling urgently.

“Commander! We’ve got to get moving, now!” Leo was charging in the direction of the skiff. “There’s a phalanx of Horde reinforcements on the way!”

That got Catra moving. She shouted orders to the other two skiffs, then sprinted down to help load the last of their payment as the engines began to spin up. Within a few minutes, they were airborne.  
“What happened?” Catra asked, “Did they get off a distress call?”

“No,” Leo said, still breathing hard, “looks like we weren’t the only ones who had the idea to launch a strike today. The Rebellion is moving on a Horde border outpost.”

Catra frowned. “That’s unusually aggressive for the Rebellion.” Her mind worked for a few moments, and she suddenly laughed. “There’s no _way_ they’d be that clever.”

Leo looked at her, confused. “Commander?”

Catra turned to Leo, eyes bright with merriment. “They’re finally starting to act like a real army! I’d lay even odds the attack’s a distraction to get an agent across the border headed for this facility.”

Leo didn’t look convinced. “Could be they’re just retaliating for the kidnapping thing, don’t you think?”

“It’s possible,” Catra allowed, “but if they weren’t willing to send their own soldiers to get the kids back, I don’t think they’d launch any kind of retaliatory strike over it. They _are_ , apparently, interested in some of Entrapta’s old research - enough to have already sent a spy across the border once before. We knew about the rumored battle platform, it’s a sure bet the Rebellion heard the same thing. Which means, of course, their spy is going to run into a trap.” _Adora is going to run into a trap_ , Catra thought, with a sudden uncomfortable jolt.

“Is that… do we want that?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. He’d been a Rebellion soldier before joining, and the concern in his voice - possibly for old comrades, Catra assumed - was audible.

“We don’t get involved unless someone’s paying, Leo.” Catra reminded him (and herself). “Besides, if the description of the Rebellion’s spy is anything to go by, they can take care of themselves.” _Adora,_ Catra thought, _you’d better be able to take care of yourself._ She shook the thought from her mind and went to the pilot to make sure the skiffs gave the fighting a wide berth.

A few days later, Catra found herself piloting a skiff at dangerous speeds, racing back to the Fright Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God damn but I am torn about leaving that beginning bit in. For starters, I've done a similar thing in a different fic before, and I do so hate repeating a trick (he said, writing his third fucking Catradora fic). For another thing, I'm not sure it fits the tone? I dunno, y'all tell me. I reserve the right to come back and rip it out later. If you are reading this and it's already gone, just _think_ about what it might have been. UPDATE: Well, I didn't rip it out, but I _did_ end up adding more to it so that it fits the tone a bit better and does what I wanted it to do a little more. If you happen to have caught the earlier version, let me know if the new version is better?
> 
> Anyway, I am fully back on my time jumping bullshit, so obviously we're going to get Adora's experience with the Alliance attack next chapter, and we'll discover what has Catra so riled (as if there was any doubt?), most likely. Might take a couple chapters to get there, it depends. 
> 
> Also in my endless quest to accrue more bullshit ideas, I have fallen down a Battletech hole (and also been reading the Lancer RPG sourcebook) so if I end up doing a mech-focused AU at some point y'all will know who to blame (I really think mechs are cool, okay). This is not - I repeat, _not_ a promise to write anything like this. I've just had some thoughts, is all.


	16. Operation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora, Glimmer, and Bow execute an operation. Catra visits. Octavia gets theatrical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I don't know if this makes a difference or not but there's some Violence in this one of the interrogation variety? It isn't particularly graphic (nothing in this fic really is) but for some reason I'm including a warning here and not elsewhere. Also, on the off chance you missed it, I did in fact go back and fiddle with the first part of the last chapter to make it work better. I think it's much improved, and if you haven't seen it, you should go read it! Go! This chapter will still be here when you're done.

Adora felt strange, dressed in normal Rebellion soldier fatigues and carrying a rifle. A pack slung on her back contained a Horde uniform and helmet, which was kept secret from everyone - even the soldiers she was traveling with. Her face was also obscured, and she’d cut her hair short to be less recognizable. The Rebellion, officially, was conducting a retaliatory strike on the Horde to avenge the sacking of several settlements that (if you asked Adora) should have been better protected in the first place. Still, even getting the leadership to agree to  _ this _ had been an effort, and if not for Adora’s own special mission, it never would’ve been approved in the first place. Adora didn’t like that fact at all, but she had precious little say in the matter. 

Bow and Glimmer were at the front of the column, as the two were in charge of the whole operation. This was something Glimmer had insisted upon, being completely unwilling to allow Adora to strike out on her own again.

“I’ll bring the Sword of Protection with me,” Glimmer had argued, “so that if you need it, we can get it to you this time.”

“The Horde will notice you leaving the battlefield!” Adora had argued back, but Glimmer had smiled confidently and assured her that this was, in fact, not going to be the case. 

“Once we start pushing the Horde back, they won’t expect the Princesses to stay around for the mop-up.”

Adora had frowned in the way she’d been doing more and more recently, but there wasn’t time to get into it, so she’d dropped the subject and trusted that Glimmer was right. The transport, one of several that the Rebellion had rebuilt from Horde scraps, bounced over the ground, and Adora braced herself along with the rest of the soldiers as the transport rocked. Their commander, a gruff older man, stood at the front and barked the mission briefing to the troops. Adora didn’t have the heart to listen along, as she knew she would just be leaving them behind to whatever fate had in store for them. She tried to remind herself that getting Horde intel was worth the sacrifice, but as she looked over the other Rebellion soldiers, she couldn’t help but wish they knew what they were about to fight for.

“Get ready to hit the ground running, men! We’re almost to the rally point!” 

The distant rumble of Horde cannon fire echoed over the sound of the transport engine, and Adora saw one of the younger soldiers flinch. She reached out and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“First battle?” She asked, unable to stop herself.

The soldier swallowed, then nodded. “Joined up six months back, after my Gran passed away. She wouldn’t have approved of getting involved, but… I can’t just sit back and do nothing, right?”

“Sometimes you have to go against the ones you care about to do the right thing.”  Adora said, thinking of Catra. She gave a reassuring smile. “Just trust your squadmates and you’ll get through fine.”

“How long have you been with the Rebellion?” 

Adora shrugged. “Five, maybe six years at this point? I joined up back when She-Ra reappeared.”

The young soldier’s eyes went wide at the mention of the legendary She-Ra, just like everyone’s eyes always did. “Really? Have you ever fought with her? Is she as powerful as they say?”

Adora laughed. “She’s pretty powerful, but… I don’t think she’s like everyone thinks. She needs people like us, maybe more than we need her. She can’t win the war on her own, you know?”

The soldier seemed to consider this. “But she’s a Princess. The Princesses are the only ones who can beat the Horde.”

“If they’re the only ones,” Adora said, shaking her head, “then why are we the ones fighting? The Princesses are powerful - no doubt about that - but there aren’t enough of them. Soldiers like us need to be able to pick up the slack.” She almost added, but did not say,  _ and woe to the Princesses if they forget that. _

If the soldier had any reply, he didn’t get the chance to say it, as the transport was suddenly rocked by a near-miss from a Horde emplacement. The transport skidded to a stop. 

The commander’s voice boomed through the smoke. “Everyone out!” 

Adora followed the other soldiers out the back of the transport, and immediately she began following the mission plan. The Horde was, for now, content to rely on their turrets to keep the Rebellion forces back - they were fortified enough (or so they would think) to ride out any real attack. That was where Glimmer came in - her job was to teleport in and drop some Bow-designed explosives to take out the turrets and force the Horde to engage. The trouble was, the turret operators needed to be distracted, which meant the Rebellion soldiers would need to draw their fire. So the soldiers were rushing to dig in and take cover, trying to stay safe long enough for Glimmer to come through.

The transports provided good cover, but it meant sacrificing what was valuable equipment. Manpower was considered more valuable to the Rebellion (for a change, Adora thought sourly), so the transports were to be sacrificed if necessary. As Adora’s transport rocked in response to heavy fire, she found herself thinking the “if necessary” part had been a bit optimistic. She took up a position near the front end, taking potshots at any Horde soldier foolish enough to stick their head over the wall, along with shots that splashed harmlessly off the turret surfaces. 

One of the other transports crumpled with a dull whump, followed by a roaring explosion. Screams rent the air and Adora shut them out. She had to focus on the mission, now. There would be plenty of time to concentrate on the fallen later. Another dull whump, followed by another explosion split the air - but this time, the explosion came from one of the turrets, causing a cheer to go up from the Rebellion soldiers. The second turret went up shortly thereafter, and Adora cheered along with the other soldiers as they began the second phase of the operation.

A second force of Rebellion transports, these ones reinforced to become battering rams, of a sort, wheeled forward, trailed by the rest of the Rebellion’s forces. As Adora watched the first of the transports slam into the Horde gates, she glanced around to see if she could see Glimmer and Bow anywhere as she moved forward. The Horde soldiers, who had previously been content to let the turrets do the work, were now taking shots over the wall at the charging Rebellion forces. Adora felt a few bullets whizz overhead, and in spite of her training she felt her heart-rate increase. Not out of fear, but out of the thrill of knowing she was as mortal as any of the other soldiers with her, that her skill and luck were all she had. No She-Ra construct to save her, not here, not now. It felt fair. It felt  _ right _ . 

A few of her squadmates fell, and she kept going, snapping off shots that cut down some of the Horde defenders. One screamed as she fell off the wall top, and Adora felt a dark satisfaction at the sound. When she reached the wall, she cut right, and began heading into the forest that marked the limit of the Rebellion’s territory. It stung to leave the battlefield, but it was necessary, and she’d already made her peace with it.

After less than an hour’s walking, the sounds of battle faded, the chatter of gunfire and shouted orders replaced by the sounds of birds and Adora’s own tread on the forest floor. She paused to consult her map and confirm she was headed in the right direction, and picked up the pace. Glimmer and Bow were, if they were following the plan, already waiting for her at the rendezvous point. The sunlight shone down through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground that made Adora relax ever-so-slightly. 

When she reached the rendezvous point, Bow dropped out of a tree next to her. “Adora! How’d the battle go?”

“Looked like we were close to breaking through the wall when I left. Whoever’s in charge of that outpost got complacent - I don’t think they had a backup plan for if the turrets went down.” Adora couldn’t quite help the tone of contempt coloring her voice.

“Lucky for us, huh?” Glimmer said, appearing in a poof of sparkles as usual. “Bow and I had a chance to do some looking around, by the way. Doesn’t seem to be anyone nearby. Our target’s a little further off, but I admit, I’m kind of shocked we didn’t see any patrols.”

“They’re getting sloppy.” Adora said, with a wry grin. “Catra kept them all on their toes in a way whoever replaced her hasn’t.”

“And while they’re getting sloppy, your old friend is running around waging her own private war.” Glimmer said, frowning. “I think I would’ve preferred it if she’d stayed with the Horde.”

Adora snorted. “That’s  _ if _ it’s really her, and not just some other disgruntled Horde soldier. She had the loyalty of some fairly talented commanders who might have left if they suspected foul play.”

“I don’t know Adora,” Bow chimed in, “didn’t you say they held a trial and everything for the people who blew her tank up? Seems like it was an actual error or some rogue element in the Horde to me.” 

Somehow, Adora didn’t roll her eyes. “Lying and manipulation is how the Horde functions. If anyone loyal to Catra thought for a second it was anything but an accident, a show trial and execution wouldn’t convince them otherwise.”

As they got closer to their destination, the light began to dim. A heavy fog began to roll in, causing Glimmer to shiver involuntarily. “You usually get this kind of weather in the Fright Zone, Adora?”

Adora, who’d become lost in thought, suddenly noticed the fog herself. “No,” she said, peering at the fog, “this is new.” There was, she thought, a strange color to the fog. It almost seemed to have a reddish tinge, seeming almost familiar. A similar fog had occasionally rolled through some of the hallways of Horde Command when she was a cadet, usually as a result of...

Adora’s blood ran cold. “This is a trap.”

“Good thing I brought your sword, then.” Glimmer said, tossing the Sword of Protection to Adora.

Adora caught it easily, but hesitated to transform. If they could take care of whatever was coming without the lightshow of her transformation, there was a chance they could still salvage the mission. Bow had an arrow readied and was scanning the area for signs of approaching soldiers. 

“See anything?” Glimmer asked, staff at the ready.

“Nothing yet,” Bow replied. “Maybe we should just start heading back where we came from? Away from the creepy fog?”

“Yeah,” Adora said, slowly, “I think you’ve got the right idea.”

“I’ll teleport us out of here.” Glimmer said, and turned to wave Bow over, when the first gunshot ripped through his shoulder and spun him around. Glimmer screamed and immediately teleported to his side, teleporting again just in time to avoid the second gunshot. 

Adora whipped around in the direction of the gunfire and saw a group of four soldiers emerge from the fog, wearing strange uniforms - breathing masks connected to tanks, and moving with a terrifying aura of inevitability. She’d spoken the words and transformed into She-Ra before she was even conscious of doing it, and charged the soldiers. It was reckless, and she was off-balance, and she should not have been as surprised as she was when two of the soldiers seemed to disappear into thin air, only to reappear behind her to deliver a pair of swift blows to her head. She-Ra stumbled forward, directly into the swung stun baton of the third, and she grunted as electricity shot through her, and her vision briefly went white. Glimmer, meanwhile, had teleported Bow out of danger and reappeared back to help fight, drawing two of them off. 

She-Ra gritted her teeth as the fight continued, and ran some calculations in her head. Bow was, most likely, bleeding somewhere in the woods and would be a liability. Glimmer probably could not teleport the three of them more than a few times before she was worn out, and her effective distance was reduced. If she were only teleporting  _ two _ , and pursuit didn’t immediately follow….

“Glimmer!” She-Ra shouted, “You have to get Bow out of here!”

“We can’t! These guys will just follow!” Glimmer shouted back, ducking a swipe from one of the soldiers. 

“No they won’t!” She-Ra shouted, and threw the Sword of Protection at Glimmer. 

Glimmer caught the sword almost by reflex, and stared back at Adora, who had pulled out a set of daggers again and was somehow still managing to hold her own. Her knuckles whitened around the sword hilt. “We’ll come back for you! I promise!”

“I know you will,” Adora said, grunting as another blow landed, “now get out of here!”

As soon as Glimmer disappeared, the two who had been fighting her circled around Adora, effectively surrounding her. Adora spat blood on the ground, still standing, as the four stared at her.

“Well?” Adora snarled, twirling a dagger in her hand, “Come on, then!” 

The four closed on her simultaneously, swinging in a synchronized motion. Adora blocked three of them, but the fourth hit home, spinning her around. Adora let the momentum carry her around, and one of the daggers flashed. One of the soldiers staggered back, blood fountaining from his neck. He fell without a word. The remaining three continued their onslaught. Adora felt a rib break, and then her knee exploded in pain and she twisted and fell to the ground. The blows came thick and fast, and darkness closed in around Adora’s vision.

When her consciousness returned, she found her arms and legs had been restrained and were stuck into metal cylinders. It hurt to breathe, and her right knee felt like it was at least twice its size. Her head pounded, and she couldn’t suppress a groan of pain.

“Awake already? You always were quick to recover, weren’t you Adora?”

Adora turned her head to find the source of the voice and unpleasantly greeted by the smug face of Octavia, standing next to a control console. Rather than respond, Adora chose to spit blood at her.

“Ah, still rebellious, huh?” The force captain smirked. “Let’s see if we can solve that problem. You  _ betrayed  _ us, Adora. Now, you’re going to help us by telling me exactly what the Rebellion’s planning.”

The sound that came out of Adora’s mouth was half-laughter, half-groan. Laughing, as it turned out, did not exactly make her ribs feel particularly good. 

“Have it your way.” Octavia said, and threw a switch.

Adora screamed as red-tinged electricity coursed through her. Her muscles tensed, making her injuries feel even worse. Black spots appeared in her vision again as the pain became blinding. Just when Adora felt like she was about to collapse, Octavia flipped another switch and the electricity died, leaving Adora breathing heavily.

“Not bad!” Octavia said, smiling wider. “I see life in the Rebellion hasn’t made you  _ too _ soft. I wonder how much of this you can take? Or maybe, you can just cooperate and this will all be over.”

A glare from Adora provided all the answer Octavia needed. She shrugged carelessly. “Have it your way then. Have another dose.”

Somehow, the pain managed to be worse. Adora felt like her body was being torn apart. She screamed again, long and ragged. Her vision narrowed to a single point, and she felt herself losing consciousness again. She welcomed it.

When she woke up again, it was to Catra’s hand caressing her cheek gently. Adora leaned into the touch, sighing. 

“Always the martyr, huh, Adora? You know, you could have just let Bow die.”

“You know I couldn’t.” Adora muttered. 

“Yeah, I mean… I’m you, so obviously I know that.”

The room was empty. Adora was still secured in the torture device, Octavia having apparently decided to just leave her there rather than bothering to move her to a proper cell. Catra was sitting on the control console, staring at Adora with a worried expression.

“Those soldiers… they were enhanced, somehow. Like a princess.” 

“Yeah,” Adora said, nodding weakly, “I noticed.”

“That was Black Garnet energy they used. The electricity powering this thing too - that’s like what you saw when Shadow Weaver would punish us. Well, me. She only touched you a couple of times.”

“I know. I should’ve done something about it.” 

“My point is,” Catra said, ignoring Adora’s guilt, “I think we know what that means.”

“Yeah,” Adora said, feeling a rush of despair, “Shadow Weaver’s running things again.”

“She’s probably on her way here now, honestly.” 

“I know.”

“She can rip your mind apart. Turn you back into an obedient Horde soldier.”

“I know.”

Catra scratched her chin and looked out a window. “You think Sparkles will come through and pull your ass out of this one?”

“I hope so. The alternative isn’t exactly pleasant.”

“Yeah.” Catra shuddered. “Not really something I want to think about.”

“You mean not something  _ I  _ want to think about.”

Silence descended. Catra paced back and forth, and then stopped in front of Adora and looked up at her with a frown. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“No.” Adora said. “What if you’re still alive? I’ve got to at least find you and kick your ass for making me worry.”

Catra laughed. “Good. Hold on to that, if nothing else.”

“Hey, Catra?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring the Parasite "SKULLS" Unit
> 
> Well, sort of.
> 
> The breaks between chapters are getting longer, I know. Sorry about that. I'm trying not to burn myself out, but hoo boy work has been busy and I have been tired. Got some travel coming up soon that'll probably introduce further delays - but you'll have a new season of She-Ra to focus on between now and the next chapter, most likely, so I'm sure you will survive.
> 
> See you soon enough! 
> 
> Also, on an unrelated note, I cannot believe Homestuck suddenly updated in the year of our fucking lord two thousand nineteen are you fucking _kidding me_ with that shit?


	17. You Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra mounts a rescue. Adora hallucinates. Two words become proof.

It had been chance, as it turned out. One of the members of Catra’s intel team had been stationed at the Horde facility attacked in the Rebellion’s feint, and shortly after the base had fallen, Glimmer had appeared in the aftermath, carrying a severely wounded comrade and shouting that she was taking volunteers for a rescue operation. This was until, of course, the wounded comrade had pointed out that they didn’t know where Adora would be - and upon hearing the name Adora the intel member immediately snuck off and send a high-priority message to Scorpia. Upon arriving back at the base, Catra had been informed, and almost immediately began planning for a rescue operation. 

It was around this time that Scorpia pointed out the obvious - rescuing Adora was not a job - and Catra had angrily replied that she’d do this one herself then, thank you very fucking much. 

“Commander, you know I trust your judgment on this one, but remember what this will mean. You’re going to confirm to Adora you’re alive. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Catra had paused, at that. She hated that she’d paused, but she’d paused. She hadn’t been laying particularly low, and the intel team had definitely reported that the Rebellion leadership was at least aware of a group of mercenaries, but apart from rumors nobody seemed willing to confirm Catra’s existence. She shook her head, banishing those thoughts. Adora was in trouble. Adora would save  _ her _ . Catra would be damned twice over if she let Adora hold that over her head. “Yeah. If the Horde manages to get rid of She-Ra, I don’t know that the Rebellion manages to hang on. No Rebellion means Hordak’s free to hunt us down. Can’t have that.”

Scorpia gave Catra a long look that said she had her own opinion as to why Catra was so set on saving Adora, but nodded. “Alright Commander. You want support on this op?”

Catra shook her head. “The fewer of us involved, the better - any larger force would get noticed. I’ll take the modified skiff, get across undetected, grab Adora, bring her out somewhere safe.”

“You think you know where she’s being held?”

“Yeah, there’s a holding facility near where they came from - you remember, it’s where I sent Octavia to get her out of my goddamn hair.” 

Scorpia whistled low and made a face. “Octavia, huh? Better get to Adora before Octavia gets too enthusiastic about interrogating her.”

Catra felt a stab of guilt. “All the more reason to get moving.”

“I’ll be on comms. If you think you’re in trouble, we’ll send in the calvary.” Scorpia held up a claw to forestall any objection. “ _ You’re _ important too, Commander. If it means the Horde knows we exist afterwards, so be it.”

After another moment’s hesitation, Catra nodded. “Fine. I’ll just have to not get caught then, huh?”

“That would be preferable.”

Shortly thereafter, Catra was airborne. As she neared the Fright Zone border, she flipped a few switches on the control console and the skiff shimmered and vanished from sight. Catra knew the way to the holding facility by heart. They’d kept one of the Princesses there, once - Catra couldn’t remember her name - something ice-related, she thought. It had hurt Catra, to see someone that young in chains. If she’d made it a little too easy for the Rebellion to get in and set the girl free, well, nobody had noticed at the time. 

She got as close as she dared to the facility and set the skiff down. The number of guards had been increased, Catra thought, but she wasn’t too concerned. The Horde would be expecting a larger force - something on par with the attack that had gotten Adora into this mess - and their focus was on watching the main approach. Catra, on the other hand, had circled around and was approaching from behind; closer to the Horde’s presence. She took a moment to consider her options for entry: over the wall, through the back gate, or, if she was feeling particularly stealthy, there was a drainage tunnel she could use. Given the increased security, Catra elected to take the drainage tunnel. 

After a few seconds of crawling through the damp and muddy tunnel, Catra regretted her decision, but she was fully committed to her plan now and refused to back out on principle. She crawled until she was well beyond the perimeter wall and found a relatively un-occupied section of the courtyard, then popped up and moved to cover. There were, as expected, a greater amount of guards than usual, but Catra had been sneaking around Horde facilities since she was barely able to walk. It was child’s play, really - the facility layout was, fortunately, largely unchanged, barring a few alterations to the doors that she’d ordered after the last breakout. She was surprised to discover the door codes had remained unchanged, and shook her head at the sloppiness of the operation.

When she reached the holding cells, Catra was surprised to find them empty. A sickening feeling washed over her - had she been too late? Was Adora already on her way to the main Horde facility? It seemed awfully fast, even for a prisoner as valuable as She-Ra. An opportunity to find out what was going on presented itself in the form of a very surprised guard who chose that moment to pass through the area.  Catra moved so quickly she surprised herself - the guard was suddenly spun around with Catra’s knife at his throat.

“The prisoner,” Catra’s voice rasped, “where is she?”

The guard almost sounded smug. “The captain’s been giving her special attention in the interrogation room. Once Shadow Weaver gets here, she’ll tell us anything we want to know.”

Catra felt the beginnings of a snarl. “Too bad the prisoner won’t be here when she arrives.”

“Oh please,” the guard said, “you Rebellion soldiers are all alike. You haven’t got the strength to get past a building full of Horde soldiers.”

“A shame I’m not a Rebellion soldier,” Catra said, and drove her knife down. The guard gave a single reedy gasp and died. Catra stood for a moment, feeling a deep rage begin to build. Shadow Weaver, coming here? Going after  _ Adora _ ? A fierce protectiveness (or was it possessiveness?) ignited in her chest, and Catra sheathed her knife in favor of shouldering her rifle. She would teach the Horde a  _ lesson _ . 

The sound of screams and gunfire filtered into the interrogation room, slowly bringing Adora back to consciousness. Octavia had been back twice, and with each session Adora could feel her body breaking down. Her throat was raw from screaming and the pain in her wounded knee had gone from being unbearable to not being something she could feel at all, and Adora wasn’t actually certain which was worse. Catra, or, she supposed, her delirious hallucination of Catra, appeared between sessions, begging Adora not to give up.

“Wh...what’s happening?” Adora managed to croak. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and she could feel dried blood on her face. 

Catra walked over to the door, looked out, and came back. “I can’t actually tell you. You know that. I’m not real, remember? But if I had to guess, it’s your friends. Or Force Captains fighting over who gets credit for your capture. I guess it could be that too.”

The sounds of gunfire got louder, and then stopped completely. A solitary set of footsteps echoed eerily down the hallway. Adora was suddenly gripped by the fear that maybe it wasn’t the Rebellion, maybe Shadow Weaver had decided to take Adora for herself. She made one last effort to struggle against the bindings securing her to the machine, but she only accomplished sending a wave of pain through her body that caused her to black out again.

There was a creak as the door swung open, and Adora looked up to see… Catra. Catra, except this Catra wore an eyepatch, and had a rifle slung over her back, and was covered in blood.

“Wh… what?”

Catra’s eye widened in shock but she seemed to pull herself together pretty quickly. “Are you okay? Can you talk?”

“Ha!” Adora laughed, a dry, painful sound. “You’re talking to yourself.”

Catra cocked her head to one side in a movement that was so  _ familiar _ , Adora became absolutely certain she was still hallucinating. “Talking to…?” She shook her head to clear it. “I’m getting you out of here.” She strode to the control console and looked over it. “I can never remember how this thing works…” 

“You can’t do anything, remember?” Adora called over. “You’re in my head. Said so yourself.”

Catra ignored her. “Ah, right. It’s this one.” She flipped the appropriate switch and the restraints popped open. Adora, suddenly lacking in any support and still held upright, toppled forward gracelessly to the floor. Catra hissed in sympathy. “Shit, sorry, I forgot that…”

Adora lay on the cold floor, breathing slowly, eyelids fluttering as her body sent new and interesting signals of protest regarding her new position. Her thoughts were jumbled and disorganized, but one thing came through to her. 

“Oh fuck,” Adora breathed out in a tone of voice that managed to convey fear, relief, and utter disbelief at the same time, “this is really happening.”

“Obviously.” Catra snorted, crouching down and beginning an inspection of Adora’s wounds. Her hands moved almost automatically, probing Adora’s legs (Adora bit back a cry of pain when Catra reached her injured knee, and Catra briefly felt like her heart was breaking), then her arms, and finally, with a care that Adora had forgotten her to be capable of, Adora’s face. 

Adora leaned into the touch unconsciously, almost forgetting her injuries and the fact that Catra was covered in blood and, apparently, had a metal arm now. These new observations were drowned out by one thought which stood out among all the others, a thought so preposterous that she could barely bring herself to say it out loud.  “It’s really you, isn’t it?” she whispered, putting one trembling hand over Catra's. 

Catra could hardly stand to look at her. She'd crawled out of the wreckage of a burning tank, become a one-woman army and damn near annihilated an entire Horde prison camp's staff, faced down Hordak on an almost daily basis for _years_ \- and yet she felt her heart beat faster, and her mouth dry up. Adora’s gaze was so piercing, so  _ focused _ on her and only her, like Catra was some kind of goddess, like Adora was about to swear eternal fealty right then and there, like she, Catra, was the Entire Goddamn Universe. When she answered, her voice was thick. “Yeah, of course it is. Come on, you think I’d leave you here?”

_ No _ , Adora suddenly realized,  _ no I didn’t. _ Catra had, after all, been who she’d been thinking of during her captivity. That Catra was alive -  _ in front of her right now _ , no less - had remained a wild hope in spite of the ‘furry lady’ Glimmer had told her about. Still, she had to be sure. “Say it.” Adora said, suddenly. “If it’s you, say it.”

“Say what?”

“You know exactly what. Or… or if this isn’t one of Shadow Weaver’s tricks, you know what.”

Catra looked confused for a moment, before she rolled her eye.  _ Of course _ , Catra thought. She lifted Adora’s chin so that the two were looking at one another and flashed a quick, incredibly self-satisfied grin that made Adora’s heartbeat stutter for a moment. “Hey, Adora.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one, because I liked ending it on "Hey Adora" way too much. When you have a good final line, stick with it! That's my excuse. 
> 
> Anyway I devoured all of Season 2 and was _absurdly_ pleased by the little detail that Adora sleeps with a dagger close to hand - thus totally validating my decision to have her favor them as weapons instead of the Sword of Protection when she's without it. [Clearly I am a mind reader.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DjiaHpxlA4)
> 
> Next chapter will pick up more or less where this one leaves off (obviously). I thought about having a whole confrontation between Catra and Octavia, but I think it's actually better to just have Catra show up having Wrecked Everyone's Shit. It gave me an excuse to shift to Adora's perspective, too! As for when it goes up, well, I'm flying back to the US tomorrow for a bit of vacation (I have a train to catch in about uh... seven hours, so I should go to bed) so writing time might be limited. 
> 
> As always, your kudos and comments and whatnot are PURE FUEL FOR MY EGO, and also I really just kind of like reading and replying to them. Now if you need me, I'll be over in the corner obsessing about the metatextual/metaphysical implications of the Homestuck Epilogues or, you know, just hollering about how Catra is clearly going to end up forming her own army in season 3, which will bring this whole fanfic FULL FUCKIN' CIRCLE and place me on the throne as fuckin' Nostradomus.


	18. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip back to base. Catra and Adora attempt to make conversation.

The feel of wind on her face and the low hum of a skiff engine brought Adora back to consciousness slowly at first. As her mind slowly kicked into gear, two important pieces of information jumped to the forefront of her mind:

  1. She was no longer being held prisoner
  2. She was apparently flying...somewhere.



She tried to sit up, but doing so made her dizzy and she felt herself losing the battle to stay upright. Her eyelids fluttered shut. There was an annoyed snort and she felt a set of hands guide her gently back down to the floor. For a moment, Adora kept her eyes closed, waiting for the dizziness to pass. 

“Take it easy,” a voice said, achingly familiar, “I think you’ve probably had a long couple of days.”

Adora opened her eyes to see Catra looming over her with undisguised concern. “Catra?”

Catra’s expression showed a deep relief which she quickly hid behind a wry grin. “That’s me.”

“What… what happened?”

“You collapsed as we were leaving, so I carried you out.” Catra couldn’t help the smirk that crept across her face. “Too much excitement for you, I guess.”

Adora let out a huff of laughter, and then winced as her broken rib reminded her of its existence. The shift in Catra’s expression from mocking to concerned happened so quickly it almost caught Adora by surprise. It seemed like it caught Catra by surprise as well, as she hastily recomposed her expression back to something more neutral. 

“Guess I’ll have to reign in my natural charm to keep you from hurting yourself, huh?”

Adora winced again as she chuckled. “Guess so.” There was an awkward pause before she spoke again. “Where are you taking me?”

Catra looked away, her tail whipping back and forth nervously. “Somewhere safe where we can get you healed up.”

“You could just drop me in a Rebellion town, you know.” Adora said, before she could stop herself. 

“Yes.” Catra agreed, “I could.” She stood and turned to look over the landscape, and apart from a slight tension to her shoulders she didn’t seem to be giving the matter any further thought. Just as Adora was about to say something to break the silence, Catra spoke in a forced casual tone. “Would you like me to?”

“No!” Adora said, too quickly, too forcefully. “No, I just… I don’t want to trouble you. You didn’t have to -”

“I  _ did _ .” Catra cut her off. 

Adora looked like she wanted to respond, but Scorpia’s crackled over Catra’s earpiece and she snapped into a businesslike mode almost immediately. “Commander, any progress?”

Catra keyed the transmitter. “Package secured, Scorp. She’s in bad shape, but she’s alive. Have a medical team standing by - her leg’s pretty bad and she’s got some damage to her ribs, but otherwise she’s okay. Make sure the Rebellion knows they don’t need to mount a rescue of their own, while you’re at it.”

“Already done, Commander.” There was a pause where Catra could almost hear the wheels turning in Scorpia’s head before she spoke again, a little more hesitantly. “You sure about bringing her here? As soon as Adora knows where we are, it’s a sure thing the Rebellion will know the same thing as soon as she goes back.” 

“I’m sure.” Catra said, looking back over her shoulder at Adora, who mouthed ‘package?’ at her and rolled her eyes. Catra looked away before the fond smile on her face became too noticeable and whispered. “I need to be sure she’s...” 

“I know, Commander.” Scorpia said, doing an admirable job of keeping the knowing grin out of her voice. “What’s your ETA?”

“Shouldn’t be more than a couple hours.” Catra said, stretching. “Home in time for dinner.”

“Well then, I’ll leave you two to chat. You’ve likely got some catching up to do.” There was a brief pause, and then she added, “Good luck, Commander.”

Catra snorted. “See you soon. Catra out.” She flipped the radio off and took a moment to organize her thoughts. It suddenly hit her that she was alone, with Adora, in a situation where they weren’t trying to kill one another, for the first time in years. She’d been running on adrenaline and an instinctual need to get Adora out of danger, and now the thought of what she'd actually  _ do _ once she'd got Adora out was new and utterly terrifying. For years, Catra had an entire speech of sorts planned out, where she’d tear into Adora for everything, but when she went looking for the anger that would have fueled her speech, she couldn’t find it. Instead, she just felt relieved to see Adora alive, along with a growing nervousness about what to say. 

Fortunately, Adora saved Catra from having to think too much further. “So uh, Scorpia’s with you?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah,  she and Entrapta kind of saved me.” Catra held up her prosthetic hand by way of explanation. “I wasn’t exactly in good shape.”

Adora seemed to notice her hand for the first time, as well as the eyepatch. “What… what  _ happened _ to you?”

“Souvenirs from the tank explosion.” Catra said, shrugging with an exaggerated carelessness. “Entrapta managed to save what she could, but…” She trailed off, a pained expression flashing across her face that she couldn’t suppress. 

“I’m sorry.” Adora said, all in a rush of emotion, “I tried to find you but… There was an army between me and you, I couldn’t, I should have tried harder, I thought -” at some point she wasn’t talking about the battle, and she knew it. 

Catra was not, later on, able to quite recall how it happened. Some instinct she didn’t realize she possessed, perhaps. All she knew is that suddenly she’d wrapped her arms around Adora and pulled her close. “It’s alright,” she murmured, not quite knowing what she was forgiving - Adora’s failure to be the one to get her out of the burning wreckage, or Adora’s abandonment of her when they were younger, or maybe  _ everything _ . “I’m here.” she said. “I’ve got you.”

Adora clung to Catra like a lifeline, too worn out to really care that she was incredibly vulnerable right now, that if Catra wanted to she could kill her easily. She knew, with a certainty that went down to her bones, that she was safe. It was such an absurd thought that she started laughing in spite of herself.

Catra’s grip loosened, and she pulled back to give Adora a questioning look. “Adora? You okay?”

“It’s just-” Adora said, torn between laughing and sobbing, both actions which only served to aggravate her broken ribs, “look at me. Look at  _ us _ . Did you ever expect… I mean…”

“Not exactly how you thought seeing me again would go, huh?” Catra chuckled a little to herself. “If it makes you feel better, it’s not how I thought it would go either.”

There was a sudden twist in Adora’s stomach that had very little to do with her wounds. “And how did you think it would go?”

Something about her voice made Catra nervous, and she found her mouth had gone unreasonably dry. She swallowed, and opened her mouth to joke, do something to change the subject, but instead said, “I thought you’d probably end up killing me.”

“Oh Catra,” Adora said, smiling and bringing a hand up to stroke Catra’s cheek with an aching familiarity, “I could never have killed you.”

Logically, Catra knew, she and Adora needed to work through everything. They’d hurt each other almost more times than they could count, been fighting on opposite sides of a global war since they were teens, been traumatized by an abusive mother-surrogate, had the weight of the world placed on their shoulders… there was a lot. They needed time to adjust to a world in which they weren’t trying to kill each other, figure out what they were to one another - if they were anything. Logically, Catra knew all of these things. She knew that she needed to put some space between them, focus on getting Adora safely back to base and figure out how she was supposed to convince Adora to keep their location secret.

These thoughts all ran through Catra’s head as she stared down at Adora, feeling her thumb softly trace her cheek. For her part, Adora had already made up her mind - there was no telling when she’d ever get this chance again, and Catra had been blown halfway to hell once already. So when Catra opened her mouth to say something, she only got as far as “I-” before Adora was moving to meet her with a small, desperate sound and then they were kissing and logic went directly out the fucking window. 

Catra’s arms moved of their own accord, one wrapping around Adora’s waist, the other snaking up her back to provide support, part of her mind at least still conscious of the fact that Adora was, after all, injured. From the way Adora was enthusiastically nibbling at her lower lip, she apparently wasn’t too concerned about potential injury. The kiss deepened of its own accord, like it was a creature with its own ideas - neither sure who was taking the lead, though at least for the moment neither seemed inclined to stop either. They paused, pulled back from one another to stare into one another’s eye(s), their breaths mingling for a moment.

“This doesn’t… this doesn’t fix things between us, does it?” Catra murmured, some semblance of control returning to her.

“No,” Adora agreed, moving to close the distance between them again, “but that’s okay for now.” Her lips ghosted against Catra’s. “I missed you so much.”

A soft, adoring noise escaped Catra at this and she pulled Adora back into a kiss. Adora felt like Catra was trying to memorize every detail of her mouth (she was, and to be fair, Adora was doing the same), while also feeling like she had just fallen off a cliff. There was only the dizzying rush of falling, except she felt like the ground in this case was Catra, which she wouldn’t mind falling on. 

Catra was finding herself unable to think of anything much at all that wasn’t just Adora, the way Adora smelled, the way her lips tasted, the way that Catra’s heart felt like it was going to beat directly out of her chest. It was nothing like she’d expected. Catra knew, with a soul-deep certainty, that this was it - she was Adora’s forever now. She was exposed, utterly vulnerable, at the mercies of the woman who had, until very recently, been The Enemy. If, in that moment, Adora asked her to abandon everything and come with her, she would do it. She’d walk right into hell if Adora asked her to - shit, she’d walk backwards. It was a dangerous thought, but Catra didn’t care.

It wasn’t until Catra pulled Adora a little closer that the matter of Adora’s ribs reasserted itself, and she hissed in pain. It was like a gunshot had gone off. Catra sprang backwards like she’d been electrocuted, an apology already on her lips, a rushed “oh shit I’m sorry are you okay?”

Adora, meanwhile, hadn’t taken her arms from where they’d settled around the back of Catra’s neck, and in spite of the pain it caused had  _ followed _ Catra, was smiling reassuringly. “I’m fine, it’s okay.” 

Catra’s more professional instincts reasserted themselves and she slowly, carefully put Adora back into a more reclined position. Adora still hadn’t let go, and Catra even more slowly, even more reluctantly ducked out of her grip.

“We uh…” she said, and coughed, unsure of what to say. “That is, I shouldn’t have…”

“Catra.” 

“I mean, you’re still hurt and there’s a war and you have to go back and I have to -”

“ _ Catra _ .”

Catra was pacing now, talking faster and faster. “And you’ve probably got like, a concussion and you aren’t thinking straight and I  _ took advantage _ of you, gods, I’m…”

“ _ Catra! _ ” 

Catra’s head snapped up to stare at Adora, who was smiling at her with an almost saintlike patience. “It’s okay you don’t have to-”

“Catra,  _ it’s okay _ . Come back here before I have to come to you.” There was a moment’s hesitation from Catra, and Adora added, “ _ please _ ” in a pleading tone that, perhaps, was not entirely intentional.

Immediately, Catra was back to Adora’s side, where she gave her another once-over to make sure Adora wasn’t hurt any worse. “Adora, I just..”

“How far until we’re at… wherever you’re taking me?” Adora asked, surprised at how even her voice was. It suddenly occurred to Adora that Catra did have a point of sorts - there was a war , and she needed to get back to the Rebellion as quickly as possible, Shadow Weaver was back in power, she needed to find out who those soldiers that captured her were - but by the First Ones, she wanted to forget all that for just a few moments.

Catra thought for a moment. “Two hours, give or take. The skiff’s on autopilot, it’ll sound an alert when we get close.”

“Okay,” Adora said, pursing her lips and thinking (and pretending not to notice the way Catra’s eye snapped to her lips). “then until the autopilot sounds,” she suddenly reached up and pulled Catra down next to her, “you stay here. Next to me. And we just… we stop thinking about all the shit going on outside.”

Catra had given a small yelp of shock at the strength with which Adora had pulled her down, but had quickly recovered. Fussily, she rearranged their positioning so that Adora was now in a comfortable sitting position, leaning against her. Her good arm wrapped protectively around Adora’s shoulders, and Catra gave into the urge to nuzzle against Adora’s neck and whisper, “Fine. But only because you asked so politely.”

Adora couldn’t quite suppress the shiver that ran through her. She hummed contentedly and turned to kiss Catra again, slowly, like she had all the time in the world. A million conversations that they needed to have ran through her head, but then her hand found its way under Catra’s shirt and she was too busy running her fingers through the fur of Catra’s back to really think of anything else. She traced over a patchwork of scars, causing Catra to shiver and cling to her even tighter. 

“Promise me something.” Catra said a few moments later, having allowed Adora to pull her so that she was now more or less sitting in her lap.

At this point, Adora was sure that she’d promise Catra anything, and said so.

“We don’t go back after this.” Catra said, maybe a little shakily. “We talk about this, later. When there’s more time. I don’t - I can’t - just drop you off healed and go back to how it was.”

“We won’t.” Adora said, certain as stone. “I want - I want you. Er, with me. And also,” her fingers dancing up Catra’s back and her face aflame, “I uh,  _ want _ you.”

Catra’s eye widened a little, and there seemed to be no other course of action to her that she could fathom other than to kiss Adora again, so she did. The insistent beeping of the autopilot broke the two apart. With no small amount of reluctance, Catra stood back up on slightly shaky legs and caught her breath. Adora looked up at her, looking disheveled and, frankly, gorgeous. 

“The medical team’s standing by,” Catra said over her shoulder as she took control of the skiff again. “Although I suppose I can assure them that you’re not  _ that _ injured, huh?”

Already Adora could see Catra slipping back into something like a professional mien, putting up the walls that she needed to in order to function effectively. It broke her heart a little, but she knew it was necessary. Still, she couldn’t help herself from a slightly teasing reply. “Well, we didn’t really test my strength and flexibility yet, did we?”

Catra coughed and felt her entire body heat up. She shot a glare back at Adora, who was smiling innocently. “You’re the worst.”

Adora  _ cackled _ in a very Catra-like manner before her ribs reminded her again they were broken. “Ow. You know you love me.” 

“Yes,” Catra said softly to herself, reaching to contact Scorpia again, “very much so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well they _were_ going to have a long talk, but... you know, it's always weird to me when an author is like "well the characters had their own ideas" because I mean, we're not fucking magicians, we aren't creating _intelligent life_ , it's all stuff we come up with in the end, right? Yet while I sat here writing their conversation, I kept thinking "you know what, these two should probably just go for it, it is the sort of thing two people would do in this kind of a situation, with adrenaline still running high and such" and so with _very_ little preamble the two got to smoochin'.
> 
> Once upon a time, I had cause to say something like Catra does at the end there. I throw this anecdote in because it is a corny-ass line, but it is literally something that came out of my mouth in a real life situation once and that's my defense for corniness in this here situation. 
> 
> Don't worry, we'll get back to the Metal Gear Solid bits next chapter. I know y'all didn't come to this for multiple chapters of Adora and Catra gettin' all sappy over one another (if you _did_ come to this for multiple chapters of Adora and Catra gettin' all sappy over one another, well I have some _great news_ for you: I'm sure that will happen too).
> 
> Weird, I'm putting a chapter up and it's not like three am. How about that, eh?


	19. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gets some breathing room. Entrapta performs medicine. Catra freaks out. Scorpia has an idea.

Scorpia and Entrapta stood flanked by several soldiers as Catra brought the skiff in for a landing. Catra looked over her shoulder where Adora sat propped up against the side of the ship. Given the events of the last few days, nevermind the last few hours, she had unsurprisingly fallen asleep. Catra crouched down in front of her again and reluctantly shook her awake.

“We’re here. Can you stand?”

There was a soft hum from Adora as she woke up, and then she stared up at Catra as if seeing her there was the best thing that had ever happened. It took a few seconds for Catra’s question to fully process, and with a grunt, Adora stood (a little shakily) on her feet.

“Looks like it.”

Catra ducked under Adora’s arm to support her, like they’d done a million times before. “Alright,” she said, nodding in the direction of the welcoming committee, “Let’s get you looked at.”

The two made their way down the skiff’s ramp, and Scorpia hurried forward to greet them. “Commander! Welcome back!” There was a brief pause where she took in Catra’s bloodstained appearance. “You both look uh…”

“Like shit! Er, speaking purely from an aesthetic standpoint.” Entrapta chirped. “Hi Adora! Long time no see!”

Adora laughed, then winced. “Hi Entrapta. Good to see you’re still doing okay.”

“Better than you’ve been doing, huh?” Entrapta clucked sympathetically. “Commander, if you’ll bring Adora to the medical bay, I need to look over the both of you.” 

Something in Catra wanted to point out that she was fine and didn’t need looking over, but Entrapta shot her a warning look before she could even open her mouth to protest. Instead, Catra nodded and began helping Adora. The guards, who had until this point been looking with no small amount of curiosity at this apparent Alliance soldier their commander had considered important enough to go off in pursuit of, snapped to attention and saluted as Catra walked by.

“At ease, men.” She said, nodding at them and pointedly ignoring the way Adora looked at her in surprise. The path to the medical bay was blessedly devoid of further soldiers, any one of whom might have recognized Adora for who she was. The last thing Catra needed was for some Horde soldier to realize the Great Betrayer was sitting around the infirmary. 

Adora looked around the facility in no small amount of astonishment, surprised to see signs of construction here and there as the facility expanded. She hadn’t recognized the guards who’d greeted them, though that meant precious little - the Horde and Rebellion armies were both enormous, after all. What did surprise her was the sight of Rogelio hunched over an injured soldier as they entered the infirmary. The lizardman seemed oddly unsurprised to see Adora, giving her a nod in greeting and almost immediately returning to his work.

“Rog,” Catra called over, “don’t forget I need the numbers on our medical supplies before the end of the week. I know you get grumpy if you don’t have enough supplies.” At his hiss of assent, Catra turned her attention back to Adora. “Alright, we’ll put you in this bed over here.”

With an amount of care that was still surprising to Adora, she helped the wounded soldier into one of the beds. Adora settled back with a barely contained wince and a sigh that was either exhaustion or disappointment that Catra almost immediately stepped back to allow Entrapta space to look Adora over.

“Okay Adora, let me just give us a little privacy here,” Entrapta said, drawing a privacy curtain around the bed and gently shooing Catra away, “and we’ll see what there is to see here. Is it going to freak you out if I take your shirt off?”

Adora shook her head, suddenly glad Catra had been shooed away. She helped Entrapta and sat up, trying not to wince too much. Entrapta kept her expression neutral as she looked over Adora’s torso, which was a mottled mess of bruises and more than a few lacerations. She produced a pair of rubber gloves and began probing Adora’s ribs, pausing whenever Adora seemed to be in pain. After a few minutes, Entrapta seemed satisfied with her investigation and nodded to herself. 

“Right. Pants next.”

This investigation took slightly longer, as Entrapta ran through a series of tests on Adora’s knee before she was fully satisfied. Eventually though, she smiled reassuringly at Adora.

“Congratulations! You aren’t going to die. Well, not any time soon I don’t think. I’ll need to run some more tests to be sure. But you do need rest. Like, kind of a lot of it. As far as I can tell you’ve got three broken ribs, and as for your knee, well…” Entrapta trailed off and seemed a little uncomfortable. 

Adora felt a brief stirring of panic. “As for my knee?”

“Well, it’s still a little too swollen to tell for sure, but I think you probably tore most of the muscles around it. That and, you know, there’s a good chance the kneecap itself is cracked or broken. Once the swelling goes down I’ll know for sure, but uh, you might need a cane for a while. Or, you know, permanently. Though most likely once you transform into She-Ra again you’ll heal up.” Entrapta shrugged. “Unfortunately the precise capabilities of the She-Ra powerset aren’t quite my area of expertise. I don’t know if it would stay healed once you reverted.”

“It would.” Adora said, feeling a little sick. “It just takes some time.”

“Oh, also you’re suffering from exhaustion. Which you probably already know - given the stresses your body’s been under, it’s honestly kind of surprising you’re still awake!”

“I slept a little on the skiff.”

“Yeah, but you also…” Entrapta seemed to catch herself. “Er, nevermind. The point is, you need sleep, and you’re going to stay in this bed and get it! I’m going to bandage your knee and give you some painkillers for your ribs and, you know, everything else. I’m also going to get you an IV drip going just to be safe - you’re showing some signs of dehydration and while I’m sure Catra was smart enough to give you something to drink on the way here, it wasn’t enough. Lay down and I’ll be back with everything in a minute, okay? Okay.”

When she stepped out from behind the curtain, she nearly ran into Catra, who’d been quietly lurking just outside. “Commander! I thought I told you to sit and wait for me to take a look at you.”

“How’s Adora?” Catra said, ignoring the question entirely.

“She’ll be fine, Commander. I’ve just got to get some supplies to treat her injuries.” Entrapta said, a little brusquely, and then, seeing Catra’s expression, relented slightly. “Look, if you aren’t going to sit down, come help me carry this stuff. I always drop the damn IV bags. They’re too squishy and I hate them.”

Catra followed along obediently. “So she’s okay?”

“Well, to be honest she shows all the signs of extreme exhaustion and whatever the hell Octavia was doing really did a number on her, but she’s remarkably resilient. Some rest and she’ll be healthy enough to get back to her people. Assuming that’s still the plan.” She shot a significant look at Catra. “I noticed curious bruising around her neck too, but I don’t think it was particularly life-threatening.”

“So you needed me to grab a couple IV bags, right?” Catra said, suddenly very interested in changing the subject. 

Entrapta, mercifully, was willing to let the matter drop for the moment. “Yeah, the stuff we use for dehydration and maybe a couple syringes of something to help her sleep. It depends on how much her ribs bother her. She’s demonstrated a remarkable toughness even when she’s  _ not _ running around as She-Ra in the past though, so odds are pretty high she won’t require it.”

“She won’t admit it if she needs it. Soldiers don’t admit when they’re hurt, it’s a sign of weakness.” Catra said, half to herself. “Something Shadow Weaver taught us early on. Some of us more than others.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Entrapta said, then gave Catra another significant look. “I certainly hope that you don’t share the same instinct.”

Catra chuckled dryly. “You saw me after the tank exploded. Pretty sure there’s no face to save when it comes to you.”

“Good. Now, once you drop these IV bags off and get out of my way, I’m going to patch up Adora, and you are going to wait patiently for me to take a look at you, because some of that blood is probably yours.”

Catra became aware of just how tired she was, and just how much she’d put her body through in the last day. As a result, she was quite suddenly too tired to bother arguing, though she did stubbornly march right behind the curtain to drop the IV bags off. Adora had, in the few minutes Entrapta’d been away, fallen asleep. If not for the numerous cuts and bruises covering her torso, or the way her breathing sounded labored and uncertain, she almost looked peaceful. The sight was almost too much for Catra to take in - something Entrapta, surprisingly, noticed immediately.

“Commander,” she said in a lowered voice, “go wait for me. It’s better than it looks, I promise.”

Numbly, Catra nodded and forced herself to leave. She sat down heavily on one of the available beds and finally allowed herself to relax the slightest bit.  _ She’s safe _ . Catra repeated to herself.  _ I got there in time, and she’s safe, and that’s all that matters. _ The thought of all the soldiers she’d gunned down on her rampage through the facility flashed unpleasantly through her mind. When Entrapta arrived a few minutes later, Catra was shaking uncontrollably. 

“Commander?” Entrapta looked deeply concerned.

“I killed them all, Entrapta.” Catra said, in a small voice. “I marched from floor to floor of that facility and gunned them all down.” She looked at Entrapta with an almost confused expression. “They were my men, once. I probably assigned them there.”

Entrapta was, as a general rule, still not completely comfortable with physical contact - Scorpia excepted. Still, she made an effort to wrap her hair around Catra’s shoulders in a gesture of comfort. “It was you or them. Do you think you would have been able to get Adora out of there in her condition if you hadn’t cleared the way beforehand?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But that’s not why I did it.” Catra took a deep breath. “I just… snapped. They took her, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t allow them to keep her. And they needed to pay for taking her in the first place. But that’s not… that’s not right, is it?”

“I… have no idea.” Entrapta admitted. “Maybe you should talk to Scorpia about this. After I make sure you’re medically sound, anyway. But if it helps, uh, in some way, I think it’s probably for the best you cleared the facility out. From a tactical standpoint. Now, let’s see what state you’re in.”

There were, as it turned out, more than a few fresh cuts and at least a few patches of singed skin from a discharged stun baton. Entrapta cleaned the wounds and handed Catra some bandages before turning her attention to Catra’s arm.

“How’d the melee functionality for this one work out?” She said in an curious tone, pulling a rag out and beginning to apply a cleaning fluid to it.

Catra had managed to at least stop shaking and took the opportunity to focus on something other than the lingering feeling that she was a monster. “Held up nicely. The claws performed better than expected - I got through some light armor with them, even.”

Entrapta seemed quite pleased by this news. “I’d  _ hoped  _ the new alloy would have a little more strength! I amaze myself sometimes, you know?” The rag was now dancing across the surface of Catra’s hand, busily cleaning dried blood and the occasional bit of grime from the joints. “Was there any discomfort? Too tight, too loose, chafing, that sort of thing?”

“No,” Catra said, shaking her head, “the fit’s good. The new insulation got a little sweaty, but that’s to be expected.”

“Hmm…” Entrapta nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll see if we can figure out a lighter material, but you’ll probably just have to deal with it. Make sure you let the arm breathe tonight, got it? Er, and wash it. Obviously. Oh, and wait until after you’ve gotten cleaned up to put those bandages on, got it?”

“Obviously.” Catra said, sighing and running her good hand over her face. “Tell Scorpia to come meet me in my office in an hour, would you? We need to figure out how we’re going to deal with our new guest.”

“You can use her name, you know.” Entrapta said, matter-of-factly. “It’s not like she’s a secret.”

“I know, it’s just…” a pained expression crossed Catra’s face, “I need to get some distance from this. All of this.  _ Her _ . I can’t ever think clearly when she’s involved. You know that.”

Entrapta nodded. “That is true, yes. But we trust your judgment, even when Adora’s involved.” 

“I wish I did too.” Catra said, standing up to leave. “Scorpia. One hour. And let me know when Adora wakes up.”

“You got it, Commander.” Entrapta said, saluting with her hair. 

Catra made her way to her quarters, where she stripped out of her soiled clothing and marched directly into the shower. She watched the water run red and brown as it washed down the drain, and closed her eye, willing her mind to stop racing without much success. Adora was here. Adora was  _ here _ . She was here and she loved Catra, apparently, and Catra was going to have to act like that didn’t matter. She was here and Catra had slaughtered a building full of soldiers - her old soldiers - because they’d stood between Adora and her. She’d been beaten and tortured and something had managed to take her down and Catra needed to know what, because something that could take down two princesses and their weirdly competent archer friend could probably be a significant threat. That meant talking to Adora to find out what happened, which meant asking Adora to relive trauma, and also actually  _ talking _ and not doing what Catra really wanted to do, which was to throw Adora over her shoulder, march into her bedroom, and not leave until they’d worked through the last five years worth of emotional and physical tension - or until they needed something to eat. 

She shook her head, clearing it. This was getting her nowhere. She stepped out of the shower, dried off, and retrieved a clean set of clothes before heading to her office to wait for Scorpia. She didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until Scorpia’s knock on the door startled her awake. 

“Commander? You in there?”

Catra sat up, shoving her missing hand in her pocket. “Come on in,” she said, taking a deep breath.

Scorpia entered, looking immensely pleased. “Well Commander, looks like the mission was a resounding success! Entrapta tells me Adora’s a little worse for the wear but recovering, and you don’t look too roughed up yourself.”

Catra shrugged. “Took a few hits but they were nothing serious.” She couldn’t quite keep the dark expression from her face as she added, “I got lucky.”

There was a thoroughly unsuccessful effort on Scorpia’s part to not snicker. “Yeah, Entrapta mentioned some interesting marks on Adora -”

“Oh my gods shut up.” Catra brought her hand up and dragged her fingers down across her face, her dark mood somewhat alleviated. “I meant I was lucky I didn’t get shot.” Her poor mood returned. “I was too reckless, and then I was...”  _ I was a demon _ , she thought, but couldn’t bring herself to say it, instead settling for  “too harsh.”

Scorpia frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I  _ slaughtered  _ them, Scorpia. All of them. So the Horde would know not to take Adora again.” Catra took a deep breath. “I could have left some alive. I lost control - I haven’t…. It was like the old days, when Adora first left.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Except I’m a lot better at killing now than I was then.”

“Commander,” Scorpia said, in a gentle tone, “not to sound too harsh, but… those soldiers would have killed you if given the chance. You  _ know _ they would have, because you put them in charge of the detention facility specifically because they were the sorts of people who would kill anyone who tried to break someone out.”

“But I could have been more subtle,” Catra said. “It would have kept the casualty count low.”

“Any soldier you left alive was a potential problem for you on your way out.” Scorpia said firmly. “You knew we’d have to kill comrades when we started this. You  _ knew _ . It’s the nature of this business. Make your peace with it, Commander.”

“It’s not something I want to do again,” Catra said.

“Then make sure Adora doesn’t get captured again.” Scorpia said, a little sharply. “Or stay away from her entirely if you think she’s such a bad influence on you, but frankly, I think we both know that’s not going to happen.”

Catra gave a defeated-sounding chuckle. “No, I guess it isn’t.”

“A few other things,” Scorpia said, deciding to let the subject of Catra’s guilt go for the moment. “We’ve spread news in a few Rebellion outposts that Adora’s escaped Horde custody, but I didn’t think it wise to openly declare ourselves her rescuers. Currently we’re framing it as Rebellion sympathizers in the Horde who arranged the escape.”

“Are they buying it?”

Scorpia shrugged. “Too early to tell. A contact in Bright Moon says the Princess Alliance all arrived to discuss the situation, but the meetings are high security and we don’t have anyone on the inside.”

Catra frowned. “Would be nice to get a source in there.”

Scorpia thought it best to not mention that Adora could be that source, and instead suggested, “If we keep up the appearance of Rebellion sympathizers, when our people hand Adora back they can ‘defect’ and get us access to more intel on the Rebellion side.”

For what was probably the hundredth time, Catra found herself surprised by Scorpia’s cleverness. “Are you  _ sure _ you shouldn’t be the one running this outfit?”

“I’ll leave the rousing speeches and derring-do to you, Commander. I’m just here to make sure we keep getting more business.”

“And to keep your Commander from going crazy, right?” Catra said, only half-joking.

“Someone has to keep an eye on you,” Scorpia said with a shrug, “and Entrapta, for all her numerous qualities (which I can list for you, if you have time), has never been great at talking feelings.”

Catra laughed, and felt a little lighter. “Thank you, Scorpia. That’ll be all for now.”

“You should get some sleep, Catra.” Scorpia said, using her name so that Catra knew she was serious. “It’s been a long day for you. Entrapta will wake you if Adora wakes up before you do.”

Catra gave a mock salute. “Yes ma’am.”

Scorpia laughed and exited the office. Catra headed back to her quarters, where she surprised herself by falling asleep almost instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things slow down a bit here, but there's stuff I wanted to cover so _deal with it_. I don't know why this took so long to write, but it did! I would've had this up last night, but I was at a Punk Rock Show, pretending that I was not an old man by rocking out to [Jawbreaker, a band who Fucking Rules and You Kids Today just Don't Understand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KGzXUmbyiQ). Please stand by while I find a cane to shake demonstratively while I continue. Why do I mention this? I dunno, it was a real fucking good time and I can't shut up about it. If it helps, at least [one track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcllXCz1jHs) works as a pretty good summary of Adora's feelings toward Catra (and vice versa).
> 
> Anyway we'll get another chapter up at some point. Adora and Catra still owe each other a conversation, there's still a bipedal weapons platform in development (to say nothing of the cannon), and oh right, Shadow Weaver is skulking about with weird sort-of-princess soldiers. Lots to deal with!
> 
> EDIT: Oh, and if you're wondering why Adora doesn't seem stunned that Entrapta's alive, it's because I sneakily retconned the Alliance thinking she was dead in response to Season 2. It really only came up in one chapter, so I tweaked a line. I have become George Lucas.


	20. Conversation(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora wakes up and says hello to some old friends. Catra makes a suggestion. Entrapta works on her sense of timing.

Adora woke with a start from what had been a blessedly dreamless sleep and almost immediately regretted it. Her mouth was dry and she was laying in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by what seemed to be some kind of curtain. A quick once-over revealed her leg had been wrapped with a tight bandage, while the rest of her body was covered in various other poultices and, in a few spots, she’d received stitches. Her ribs were in pain, and she winced audibly as she attempted to sit up. It was then she noticed the needle in her hand, and tried very hard not to freak out.

There was a sudden  _ whoosh _ as the curtain was pulled back, and Adora instinctively pulled the thin sheet she’d been sleeping under up higher, suddenly conscious that she’d apparently been allowed to fall asleep in only her smallclothes. She found herself staring into the calm, implacable gaze of Rogelio, who, without much in the way of formality, removed the needle from Adora’s hand and began checking her vitals. 

“So,” Adora said, as Rogelio checked her pulse, “This is where you and the others were heading when I ran into you last time?”

Rogelio gave an affirmative grunt.

“How’d you get here? And uh, where… exactly is here, actually?”

A shrug was her response. 

“Can’t tell me, huh?”

A shake of the head.

“Is that because Catra told you not to, or because you don’t think you can trust me.”

Rogelio held his hand out flat and tilted it from side to side.

Adora nodded. “Ah. A bit of both, then. I guess that makes sense.”

Nod.

“Are Kyle and Lonnie with you too? They’re also part of… whatever this is?”

Another nod.

“How’s Kyle? Same as always?”

Rogelio started to nod, then apparently reconsidered and made another ‘so-so’ gesture with his hand. 

There was one last question on Adora’s mind. “Did you…” Adora hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Did you know she was alive when you found me?”

Rogelio rolled his eyes and shook his head. He clucked at her and pulled the sheet aside to look at her knee, then shot her a look which perfectly communicated that she should probably stay where she was and not go walking around. 

“Well,” Adora said, feeling slightly awkward, “I’m glad you found your way here. I should probably make sure the next time I see you it’s not in a situation where I’ve been beaten to shit, huh?”

That earned her an affectionate pat on the head and a dry, hissing chuckle. As he continued to check Adora’s wounds, her stomach rumbled. Rogelio shot her a look, laughed to himself again, and left, leaving Adora alone. A few minutes later, he returned with a tray of food, which he set down in front of her. Adora’s stomach rumbled even louder and she realized that she couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d eaten. She moved to dig into the food with gusto, until Rogelio placed a warning hand on her to slow her down.

“Guess I don’t want to make myself sick, do I?”

Nod.

It was difficult, but Adora managed to force herself to eat at a slower pace. Rogelio watched her for a bit, and then, with another affectionate pat of her head, took his leave. Adora finished eating and found herself wondering what the hell she was meant to do now. Lay back and rest, she supposed, except now that she’d slept and had something to eat, her mind was free to go back over the events of the last few days with something approaching clarity. 

It was not something she was eager to think about. Octavia had been only too happy to have Adora, the former golden child and - more damningly - shield for Catra when it came to Octavia getting vengeance for her missing eye. By the time Adora left, Catra was damnably untouchable - a Force Captain with equal footing. That Adora had somehow managed to keep her eyes intact through all of it had been a minor miracle. Even so, her whole body ached with the memory of whatever current Octavia had been running through her body, with the numerous blows and cuts inflicted seemingly at random. 

Adora had, she realized, started to resign herself to her fate. Shadow Weaver would come, and she would wipe her memory - assuming she wasn’t to be killed - and Adora would go back to being an obedient soldier of the Horde. If not for Catra… who was a whole other topic Adora didn’t know she was ready to delve into. 

It wasn’t that Adora didn’t know how she felt about Catra. She loved her with a fierceness that bordered on the dizzying. The longer the war had dragged on, the easier it had been for Adora to see Catra as less of an enemy and more of someone who just happened to be on the other side. Their fights had become no less vicious, but for Adora they’d become somehow impersonal - they were professional soldiers, and they were - once - friends. Adora had watched Catra rise to power in the Horde with a strange sort of pride. It was the sort of potential that Catra always had but never been allowed to fulfil. Shadow Weaver had seen to that.

There was another topic altogether. What had allowed Shadow Weaver to come back into power?  Catra had disgraced her and cast her down early on in her rise to Force Commander, but seemingly Hordak had seen fit to bring her back. It made no sense. Something had happened in the Horde, something that had caught Catra off guard and nearly killed her. It had resulted in whatever those soldiers were that had nearly killed Bow - using magic that was unambiguously out of Shadow Weaver’s school. Had that been in development while Catra was in command? Had Catra  _ known _ ? One more thing to add to a long list of questions Adora had, not the least of which was  _ what the hell were they going to do now? _

They wouldn’t go back to the way things were. She’d promised Catra as much, but what that meant was still something she hadn’t thought about. The Alliance needed She-Ra in a way that Adora understood, but Adora didn’t need She-Ra. She was more than willing to keep up the fight without She-Ra’s powers if that’s what it took, but… her friends in the Alliance needed her. She knew that Catra did not. Catra might  _ want _ her, and certainly Adora knew she wanted Catra, but there was no scenario Adora could think of in which they got what they wanted. Not while the Horde was still a threat.

At some point, Adora fell asleep again - or she assumed that she’d done so, because she seemed to blink and suddenly Catra was sitting next to her bed, giving her a once-over.

Adora startled slightly, and then after a pause, asked the first question that came to mind. “You’re not a hallucination, right?”

Catra raised an eyebrow. “Should I be?”

“No, it’s just…” Adora looked closely. This Catra had one eye covered by an eyepatch, and was dressed in what seemed to be a uniform without any markings of rank or affiliation. “Nevermind.”

“Been dreaming about me, huh?” Catra said, a little too pleased with herself. “I didn’t know I had that kind of effect on you.”

“I thought you were dead.” Adora said defensively, before rubbing her forehead with a sigh. “In fact, I got  _ confirmation _ you were dead from some Horde soldiers I heard while I was in the Fright Zone on a uh, unrelated matter. It… I didn’t handle it well.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Catra said, with a surprising sympathy, “I don’t know that I would have dealt with hearing you were dead any better.”

“Aw,” Adora said, falling back into their old teasing routine, “I didn’t know you cared.”

“Well, I do.” Catra said, surprising Adora with the bluntness of her response. “That’s why you’re here - even if I did sell Scorpia on it by making a tactical argument that I don’t think she bought for a second.”

Adora, because she couldn’t quite bring herself to talk about what they really needed to be talking about just yet, took the bait. “And what precisely was your tactical argument?”

“The Princess Alliance breaks apart if She-Ra’s gone.” Catra said, shrugging. “And if the Alliance breaks apart, that’s the end of the Rebellion. And if the  _ Rebellion _ falls, then Hordak has all the time in the world to hunt us down with the full might of the Horde - which is not something we are currently equipped to stand against. So, it was in our best interests to get you out of Horde custody as quickly as possible.”

Adora shrugged. “Seems pretty convincing to me.”

“Yeah, but Scorpia knows that I can’t think clearly when it comes to you.” Catra said, matter-of-factly. “I’ve never been able to. You,” she said, pointing with a metal finger, and a crooked smile, “were always my weakness.”

Adora drew her good knee up to her chest and used it to help herself sit up a little straighter. Catra had the decency to pretend very hard not to notice that Adora had never put a shirt back on. “If it makes you feel better,” Adora said, “you’ve always been my weakness too.”

“I’m aware.” Catra said with a rather guilty look. “I took advantage of it pretty often, as you’ll recall.”

“Well don’t worry,” Adora said airily, “I don’t expect an apology or anything.”

“Too bad.” Catra said. “I’m sorry. I’ve done… so many things that hurt you. Hurt your allies. It was the job, but… I know that’s not much of an excuse.”

“Was I any better?” Adora replied, cocking her head to one side. “How many of your men have I killed or injured? Former comrades of mine, too. It’s… war. We’re on opposite sides. It was impossible  _ not _ to.”

“Not anymore.” Catra said, quietly. “But…”

“But we still aren’t on the same side, are we?” Adora said, with a sad smile. 

Catra was quiet for a few moments, looking at the floor. “No,” she finally said softly. “We aren’t.”

“What... “ Adora started to say, and then paused, uncertain. “What side are you on, exactly?”

“My own.” Catra said, as if the answer was obvious.

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Catra said, shrugging her shoulders, “that I don’t fight for anyone anymore. Nobody here does. We just fight for ourselves. We fight for what we believe needs to be done, but we don’t swear fealty to any princess, or kingdom, or organization. We’re free of all that.”

It seemed like Adora was trying to think through a difficult problem. “But… everyone here follows you, don’t they? I mean they call you Commander and everything.”

“I don’t ask them to.” Catra said. “They follow me because they want to. Everyone is free to leave, should they want to. The only thing we ask from those who make that choice is they don’t reveal our location.” She shrugged. “Then again, so far nobody’s asked to leave. This is… my family. Our family. We’re a haven for soldiers that exists outside the power struggle of Horde vs Rebellion.”

Adora felt a pang at the word family. “Is this the part where you ask me to stay?” Her voice was almost a whisper. 

Catra’s grin was a mixture of heartbreak and gentle chiding. “I try not to ask questions I already know the answer to.”

“And what’s my answer, in this case?” Adora asked, challenging.

“Your answer is that you want to, but you can’t. Because She-Ra is too important, and you can’t just give her up and leave the Rebellion high and dry. Because you’re a  _ hero _ ,” her expression went slightly bitter for a second, and Catra turned her head so that Adora couldn’t see her good eye anymore,  “and heroes don’t belong here.”

An uncomfortable silence descended, broken only by an annoyed sniff from Catra as she angrily brushed at her unseen eye. Adora looked at her friend, sitting in profile, struggling to keep a self-imposed distance between them that hadn’t been there the day before, and felt her heart break. She wanted to tell Catra that she’d drop She-Ra in a second if Catra asked - she knew even as she thought it that it wasn’t true, but she wanted to say it anyway. Then she remembered promising Catra they’d always look out for one another, and how  _ that _ turned out, so instead she asked, “You don’t think you’re a hero?”

“Never was,” Catra said, her voice sounding rough, “never will be.”

“You’ve given all these people a home. You saved those kids,” Adora argued back. “You saved  _ me _ .”

“Scorpia and Entrapta gave these people a home. I saved those kids because they came to us and offered payment. I saved you because…” a huff of a laugh escaped her, “well, because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I lost you. I’ve also assassinated Rebellion officials, sent men on missions of sabotage to force evacuations of settlements, and I’ll keep doing it as long as the work pays and gives my people more security to work with.” 

“And that doesn’t make you a hero to your people?” Adora said with a crooked grin. 

Catra snorted. “Surviving isn’t heroic. It’s just surviving.”

“If you were just surviving, you wouldn’t have built all this. Yes,” she said, holding a hand up to forestall Catra’s rebuttal, “even if it was mostly Scorpia and Entrapta’s doing. You really think they would have put this together without you? You’re their leader. They’ll follow you anywhere.” The next phrase seemed to catch Adora by surprise. “I would too.”

That got Catra’s attention. “You what?” 

Adora smiled in that infuriating way of hers she did whenever she’d made her mind up about something. “I’d follow you. If you’d let me.” 

Catra shook her head. “Don’t joke, Adora.”

“I’m not joking.” Adora said, her mind suddenly racing. “She-Ra belongs with the Rebellion, that’s true. But I’m not She-Ra.”

“But you have to be.” Catra said, patiently. “You know as well as I do the Rebellion needs you more than…”

Adora laughed. “Than you do?”

Catra stood, her eye blazing. “I don’t  _ need _ you, Adora.” She advanced to the bed, a sudden surge of anger getting the better of her for a moment. 

Adora’s eyes sparkled with something as Catra loomed over her. “You don’t?” She reached a hand up and stroked Catra’s cheek. Her voice took on a register Catra didn’t know she possessed. “Are you sure?” 

The anger that had briefly roared to life was replaced, quite suddenly, with the realization of what Adora was doing. Catra smirked. “There’s a difference between need…” she said, bringing her hand up behind Adora’s head and making a fist, tugging her head back slightly. 

Adora’s pupils widened and her breath hitched as Catra brought her lips closer, whispering in a low growl. “And want.” Catra released Adora’s hair and stepped back, taking a moment to compose herself again before shooting a smug look Adora’s direction.

“That,” Adora said in a trembling voice, her skin flushed, “was mean.”

“Sorry,” Catra said, her own voice also a little unsteady, “but you and I both know this isn’t the  time. Certainly not the place.”

“Oh I don’t know,” Adora said, gesturing to draw Catra’s eye to her state of dress, “it could be the time.”

“Still not the place.” Catra said, looking and hating that she was looking because it just made things more difficult. “At any rate, my point is…”

Adora’s eyes were boring a hole through Catra. “Is?” 

With an effort, Catra looked up and away. “You have to go back. You would regret staying here. Your friends need you. The Rebellion needs you.”

“Maybe I’m tired of She-Ra being needed.” Adora said with a sudden fierceness. “Maybe I’m sick of being a tool for the Rebellion. I had to give you up once - why should I have to give you up again?”

Catra was speechless for a moment. This was not the first time Adora had apologized for leaving her, but she’d never heard Adora sound so  _ bitter _ about the decision. It had not really occurred to her before now - not in all the years of her own anger and feelings of betrayal - that Adora had resented having to leave her behind. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to tell Adora she could stay, but she knew it was an impossibility. Even so, she found herself saying, “What if you don’t have to? I mean…” she growled, frustrated, “what if we still stay together? You go back, but we stay in touch, and I tell you what we’re doing, and you tell me what you’re doing, and we… meet in the middle, somehow.”

“Meet in the middle?”

“We’re both fighting the Horde.” Catra said, deciding not to mention that she would also fight the Rebellion when the situation arose,  “There’s no reason we can’t coordinate with one another when the opportunity arises. But it would need to just be you. You  _ can’t _ tell anyone where we are, or who we are.”

Adora, of course, pointed it out. “You also fight the Rebellion sometimes, don’t you? Who’s to say we don’t end up on opposite sides of a battlefield again?”

“If that happens,” Catra said, heavily, “then you’ll have to fight me. You can’t afford not to.”

The look on Adora’s face was heartbreaking. “I don’t know if I could.”

Catra hurried to reassure her. “Fortunately for us both, I think if that happens it will mean one of us needs to be put down anyway, because one of us will have taken the wrong side. Probably me.”

Adora laughed in spite of herself. “Fortunately.” She sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “You’re right, of course. I have to go back.”

“But,” Catra said, “we have some time before then. There are some things I want to show you, and some questions I need to ask you first.”

Entrapta threw open the curtain and bustled in. “And you can ask that after I’ve had a chance to look over her knee, Commander! Not before! She’s only had a single night’s recovery and I won’t have you wearing her out with questions or anything else, is that clear?”

Catra held her hands up in surrender, already stepping backwards out of the area. “Clear as crystal, doc. Guess we’ll have to finish our conversation later, Adora.”

“I’ll come find you, if I’m allowed out of this bed.” Adora said with a grin, bottling back up the various emotions that had been swirling around the two for the duration of their conversation. 

“Rogelio informed me the swelling on your leg has gone down, which is a good sign.” Entrapta said conversationally, sweeping the curtain closed. “It means I can take another look at it and see about fitting you for a brace. Also I can probably get a better idea of how bad the damage is.” She moved the sheet aside and began unwrapping the bandage on Adora’s knee, then hesitated for a second. “Er, one thing. I’m led to believe this might hurt, so consider yourself warned. I mean, you need to tell me when it hurts, because if you don’t then I won’t know what’s wrong.”

Adora nodded, and then almost immediately bit back a cry as Entrapta slowly began bending her knee. Entrapta gave her a guilty look and backed off, then began a series of other tests, nearly all of which hurt. After what felt like far too long, Entrapta let Adora’s leg go and stepped back.

“Good news first! I think your kneecap is intact.”

“Well,” Adora said, sounding strained, “I guess that’s something. What’s the bad news?”

“I’m pretty sure your major tendons are shredded. Now, I  _ could _ go in and fix them, but it would involve a long recovery process and I don’t know how long you planned on staying with us.” When Adora didn’t immediately reply, she continued. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I can fix it, but your sword can also probably fix it, so even if I did go in and fix it you wouldn’t necessarily need the full recovery time. Either way it’ll hurt less if you let me fix it. I’ve never done it before but I’m very interested to try and, you know, you can take a couple days to decide. We’ll get you a brace in the meantime.”

“Er, thanks.” Adora said, a little overwhelmed by Entrapta’s patter. “For everything.”

“Of course! You’re a friend, after all.” Entrapta said, smiling. “Even if you and Catra spent a lot of time trying to kill each other.”

The question was out of Adora’s mouth before she realized that she wanted an answer to it. “How… How is she? Catra, I mean. Since the explosion.”

“Hmm,” Entrapta said, seemingly choosing her words carefully, “That’s a good question. We got all the shrapnel out after we got here safely. It was a little close before that - I never really admitted to her  _ how _ close, actually, because honestly it wouldn’t have been helpful if she knew, and Scorpia would’ve gotten even more worried than she was, so… I didn’t. The Commander’s a tough one though, so she was back on her feet way before I expected.”

“Was that because she healed fast, or because she can’t stand to be bedridden?”

“Well, part of it was because we had to run away from a kill squad, but I like to think she would have been back on her feet quickly either way.” A guilty look crossed Entrapta’s face and one of her twintails covered her mouth. “Er, don’t tell her I told you that.”

Adora’s eyes had widened at the accidental admission. “A kill squad?”

“Don’t worry! We got away, and nobody got hurt too badly. Catra wasn’t even really in that much danger, because she was in the skiff with me providing cover fire. She even got a few hits in, which I didn’t really expect her to because she’d barely had time to adjust to having only one eye. It might’ve been luck, but I can’t be sure.”

Adora looked around the facility, suddenly feeling worried. “So this was…  _ before _ you came here, I assume?”

“Oh yes, of course.” Entrapta nodded enthusiastically. “I hadn’t even had time to give her a prosthetic yet, but she rose to the occasion to help save Scorpia. She’s quite impressive, you know.”

“Yeah,” Adora said, a fond look crossing her face, “I know.”

Entrapta noticed the look and grinned. “If you’re careful, you know, you could probably recover somewhere else. Assuming you eat and drink properly, and don’t push yourself too much. I’m sure that the Commander would share her quarters if you asked nicely. And if you refrained from any strenuous physical activity while you were there. Your ribs are still healing, after all.”

Adora felt her entire body go red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said in suspiciously high voice, “but I won’t deny it would be nice to not spend another day stuck in bed.”

Entrapta clapped her hands together, seeming almost gleeful. “Great! I’ll have a brace for you shortly. Then I’ll take you to Catra and she can give you the tour.”

“Does Catra really have time to be giving tours?” Adora asked, not because she didn’t need to see Catra again, but more because she felt the need to at least  _ pretend _ that she didn’t. 

Entrapta snorted - actually  _ snorted _ \- as if Adora’s question were the dumbest thing she’d ever heard. “I’m sure she’ll make time for you. Now, put some clothes on and I’ll be back in a minute with something to help you walk. Oh, and some food too. You should eat again.”

With a wave, she ducked out, leaving Adora behind to discover that, at some point, someone had delivered what looked like a repurposed Horde uniform to her. Her own clothes seemed to be gone - whether they were being cleaned or they’d taken too much damage and been discarded was a mystery she could solve later. She put the new uniform on, giving herself a once-over. 

It suited her, Adora decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good god, you ever have a chapter that just refuses to end? Because this one just kept on rolling. Every time I thought I'd come to an ending spot, I'd think "oh I should cover this bit too" and, well, here we are. 
> 
> I don't say this often enough: Y'all are _fucking fantastic_. I love reading and responding to the comments, as you've probably noticed, and it's a delight to see new people discovering this thing and commenting and kudos-ing and what have you. By all means, tell all your friends who are both into She-Ra and I guess Metal Gear, although the second one is less important than the first. Wholly unnecessary, one might even say! 
> 
> Anyway, next chapter Adora gets the Grand Tour, and Catra gets some valuable intel. Coming... eventually. I don't know when.
> 
> EDIT: Holy shit this is over 50k words now? Ridiculous. I'm a ridiculous human being for writing this.


	21. A Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra makes a call and takes a chance. Adora takes a tour and provides some intel.

Catra was in the middle of a conversation with Scorpia in her office when Adora found her. “How many search parties are currently near Horde territory?”

Scorpia shrugged. “We’re not sure, Commander. Intel says the Alliance is devoting a significant amount of resources to the search, but we don’t have anyone with access to their actual deployment plans.”

Catra frowned. “We need to do something to convince them she’s okay. Otherwise they’re going to end up getting themselves killed.”

“With respect, Commander, we’re under no obligation to keep Alliance operatives alive unless we’re being paid to do so.”

Catra’s expression was tense. “If anyone dies, Adora is going to blame herself for it, or worse, she’ll blame  _ me _ for it, and I couldn’t-”

Adora decided she’d heard enough. “You won’t. I’ll contact Swift Wind, let him know I’m okay.”

Catra whirled around, eye wide with surprise and took in the sight of Adora. She was wearing the plain uniform Catra had left her, and leaning on a cane. Her knee was encased in a brace which kept it straight. She looked much better than the day before, but there was a leanness to her face a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead that spoke to how much the trip from the infirmary to the office had taken out of her.

“It’s uh… it’s a She-Ra thing. He’s my uh, ‘destined steed.’ I can’t like,  _ talk _ to him, but I can... “ Adora frowned, trying to find a way to describe it. “Bend my mind to him and he’ll know where I am and how I’m doing? It’s like… he sees through my eyes, and I through his, if I will it.” 

Scorpia immediately wore an expression of concern. “Is that an either/or thing, or a both/and thing? Because if he knows where you are, what’s to stop him bringing the entire Alliance along with him?”

“He won’t.” Adora said, quietly. “Not if he knows who I’m here with. More than anyone else, he knows who you are, Catra. He knows how I feel about… everything. He won’t put you at risk.”

Scorpia still looked doubtful, but looked to Catra. “It’s your call, Commander.”

Catra was quiet as she turned things over in her mind. Adora wasn’t lying - she knew that much. Certainly  _ Adora _ thought her horse - unicorn - pegasus - whatever he was - to be trustworthy. Still, he was another potential informant. Catra had no doubt Adora would keep their location secret - particularly after their last conversation - but if Swift Wind thought it was in Adora’s best interest for the others to know, would he go behind her back to tell them? On the other hand, it would be a disaster if the Alliance’s search teams ended up getting themselves killed.  _ Last time you trusted Adora, she abandoned you _ , a voice said in the back of her head,  _ can you really risk it? _

“You have to promise me.” Catra said, staring a hole in Adora. “Your friends can’t know where we are. They  _ can’t _ . You, I can trust. If Swift Wind gives our location up, that’s the end of us. We end up on the run and get hunted down by one or both sides.”

Adora’s first instinct was to defend her friends. They would understand - she could convince them, she was sure - except the more she thought about it, the less certain she was. Neither was good at keeping secrets, especially not from Angella. “Swift Wind won’t talk. You don’t have any horses penned up here, do you?”

Catra looked immensely confused. “I… what? No?”

“Then you’re fine.” Adora said. “Your secret is safe with me. Er, and him too.”

Catra nodded. “Alright. Call your… mystic steed, or whatever the hell he is.”

Adora shut her eyes and reached out to Swift Wind. An image formed in her mind of flying over the plains just west of the Horde outpost the Rebellion had attacked.  _ I’m over here _ , Adora thought,  _ I’m safe.  _ Then she opened her eyes and looked at Catra.  _ Come alone _ , she thought, and then closed her eyes again. The vision shifted as Swift Wind wheeled in the air and changed direction.

“He’s on his way.” Adora informed Catra. “Dunno how long it’ll take for him to  _ get _ here, but…” 

“Well, while we’ve got time,” Catra said, forcing down a wave of disappointment at the thought that Adora would be leaving so quickly. “I’ll give you the tour. Once your friend gets here, I’ll need to talk to talk to him.” She offered her arm to Adora with a rakish grin. “Shall we?”

Adora gave an exaggerated bow and linked their arms together, tucking the cane under her free arm. “Lead on, Commander.”

Scorpia did a surprisingly good job of not squealing in delight at the scene and instead merely nodded. “See you later, Commander. We still need to discuss the new intel I mentioned earlier, when you have the time.”

Catra nodded and led Adora out of the office. “Gotta admit Adora, I’m surprised you made it to my office without any former Horde soldiers talking to you. You’re something of a uh, celebrity back in the Fright Zone.”

“‘The Great Betrayer.’” Adora said with a lopsided grin. “I’m aware. Fortunately for me, I’m still pretty good at avoiding notice, even with a ruined knee.”

“I’ll have to have a word with the troops on alertness, is what you’re saying.” Catra said with a frown.

“Oh, I don’t know. It could be that I’m just very good.”

Catra glanced sideways at the smug look on Adora’s face, and couldn’t help but smile. “Whatever you say, princess.” She stopped, and turned to Adora with a serious expression. “Are you up for this? There might be some folks that want a word with you during the tour.”

Adora shrugged. “I’m used to it. Part of being She-Ra involves a lot of…” there was a pause as she searched for the right phrase, “public relations.”

Catra shuddered theatrically. “Sounds awful.”

“It’s part of the Princess Alliance package.” Adora admitted. “She-Ra is a great warrior, but she’s also a  _ valuable _ political tool.”

The way she spat out the last few words was unmistakable. “Not really what you had in mind when you decided to fight the Horde, huh?” Catra said, not without sympathy. “If it makes you feel better, there’s a lot more paperwork involved as Horde Commander than I thought there’d be. It wasn’t my favorite part of the job. Still isn’t.”

“And what is your favorite part of the job?” Adora asked, curiously.

Catra grinned. “You’ll see in a moment. We’re nearly there.”

“Nearly where?”

“The training grounds.” Catra said, pushing open a door and ushering Adora outside.

Adora’s eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. Two groups of soldiers were arrayed in rows, each running through a series of martial drills. A few instructors stood at the front of each group, offering advice and making corrections where necessary. In another area, she saw a ring in which two soldiers were engaged in a hand-to-hand battle, while the distant crack of gunfire spoke to the presence of a shooting range somewhere out of sight. Catra helped her to a set of benches arranged near the drilling soldiers and sat her down. 

“Most of our instructors are Horde,” Catra said, idly, “but we’ve had a few Rebellion recruits willing to help out too. Scorpia and I evaluate them and assign them to classes, and we sort our recruits into groups based on skill level. You wouldn’t believe it, but Kyle’s got a real talent for it.” She chuckled. “I guess he had to be good at  _ something _ .” 

Before Adora could respond, one of the instructors finally noticed their presence and immediately snapped to attention. “Recruits! You’re in luck! Our Commander is here to observe your performance. Don’t worry,” he said with a dry chuckle, “she won’t go easy on you.”

All activity stopped and everyone present quickly snapped to attention. Catra gave Adora a sideways glance that seemed almost apologetic, and stood. “At ease, men, I’m just passing through. I see some new faces - welcome aboard. If we haven’t had time to meet one-on-one, we will soon enough. Train hard. We’re building something new here, and we need all your help to make it happen. We’re going to get our revenge on the Horde and all other entities that have treated us as disposable pawns. We’re going to fight for a world where we aren’t needed anymore - even if we’ll never live to see it.” She paused for a moment, letting it sink in, and grinned. “Now get back to work, I’ve given you enough of a break.”

Adora had watched the whole thing with a strange look on her face. Suddenly she could understand what had drawn so many people out here - Catra’s presence was undeniably magnetic, even though she didn’t seem to realize it. There was a sincerity to her words that could not be denied, and Adora knew then that there was no question the soldiers here would follow Catra to whatever end. It was something Adora hadn’t fully grasped until seeing the looks on the faces of the newer recruits - her own willingness to follow Catra to the ends of the earth notwithstanding. In the hands of someone else, Adora might consider it dangerous - Catra’s dedication to ending the war seemed sincere but if she decided she wanted to rule instead, she’d have a fiercely loyal army at her back.  _ She said she’d want me to put her down if we were on opposite sides again _ , Adora thought.  _ I don’t know if I could _ .

Catra sat down heavily next to Adora with a cocky grin on her face, breaking the grim train of thought. “So, that’s our training grounds, anyway. I try to drop in here later in the day, usually, when it’s not so crowded. If you weren’t so banged up, I’d ask you to spar.”

“I’d consider it anyway if I didn’t want Entrapta to kill me.” Adora said, with a grin of her own. 

The two sat in silence, watching the training. A few of the recruits noticed Adora, and did a poor job of covering up the shock on their faces. Catra chuckled. “Looks like at least a few people might know who you are, Adora.”

Adora pretended not to notice. “There’s not going to be trouble, is there?”

Catra snorted. “Maybe you’ll have to sign an autograph, but that’s about it. You think anyone who defected from the Horde is still buying into that whole ‘Great Betrayer’ line Hordak was feeding them? It’s more likely your own people will swarm you once they realize you’re here.”

“‘My own people,’” Adora said, rolling her eyes for effect, “don’t know who I am unless I’m about two feet taller and dressed like a magical princess.”

This caught Catra completely off guard. “Wait, really? I would’ve thought the Alliance would go all-in on having a high-ranking Horde defector on their side.”

“Nah, they like to pretend that Princesses are only ever Princesses. I think they’re worried that if the people found out that I wasn’t  _ born _ a princess they’d lose their minds.” Adora snorted. 

“That’s bullshit.” Catra said, shortly. “You’re so much more than just She-Ra.”

“Honestly, I kind of like the anonymity.” Adora said, smiling at Catra’s protectiveness. “It lets me be myself without having the weight of everyone’s expectations on me.”

“Wait, so where do they think She-Ra goes when you’re not transformed?”

Adora shrugged. “The Princesses as a whole are really only seen if they’re fighting or holding court. It’s generally assumed that She-Ra is princess of a fallen kingdom, and she goes back there when she’s not, you know, out fighting.” She looked sideways at Catra, who was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. “What?”

“I can’t believe we never managed to beat you. You’re in charge of a bunch of idiots.”

Adora shrugged. “I think it’s a magic thing. Everyone knows all about magic, and so they just… accept that She-Ra disappears between battles.”

“So who are you, then? Like, obviously people see you running around with Glitter and whatshisface all the time, right?”

“I’m just one of  _ Glimmer _ ’s confidants and guards, obviously.” Adora said, emphasizing Glimmer’s name but otherwise letting Catra’s refusal to say her name properly slide. “I just kind of fade into the background.”

Catra hummed thoughtfully to herself. “So the fact that you’ve been missing for days doesn’t mean shit, huh? Not to the rank and file - they just think She-Ra’s off doing something somewhere else?”

“More or less.” Adora shrugged. “I don’t know if She-Ra’s appearance is a universal constant or anything, but in theory if someone else could use the sword, nobody could tell the difference.”

There was a tone to her voice that rubbed Catra the wrong way, but she didn’t think it was the place to get into it just yet. Instead, she stood up and offered her arm again. “Ready to see something else?”

“What’s next on the tour?”

“Figured you might want to see our operations center. Then I can show you our canteen and barracks, and then… well, if your horse or whatever isn’t here by then, there’s some other things we can discuss.”

“Other things, huh?” Adora raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Catra rolled an eye. “You’ve got a one-track mind, Adora. There’s some developments happening in the Horde we want your opinion on.” This was, of course, half true. They  _ did _ want Adora’s opinion, but they wanted her opinion on what had happened to her - and while Catra felt a little bad for not coming right out and saying it, she figured it would be better to make the actual request in private, where Adora could feel safe saying no.

Adora seemed to actually be a little disappointed, but nodded anyway. “Alright. Lead on, Commander.”

Catra led Adora back inside, and the two made their way down another set of hallways in relative silence, broken only by the presence of a few staff members who greeted Catra as they moved by. Catra was beginning to think they’d make it without anyone recognizing Adora when there was a sudden commotion behind them.

“Commander, with respect, what’s the Princess Glimmer’s consort doing here?”

Catra turned around slowly to see Aethina staring in disbelief at Adora with something that could have been anger and something that could have been confusion on her face. Adora turned, a little slowly, and straightened up slightly. 

“Consort?” She laughed, shaking her head slowly. “The Rebellion rumor mill never disappoints.”

“Adora here,” Catra said, with an edge of warning in her tone, “was brought here from a Horde prison facility to recover and, potentially, to join our organization. Is there a problem, soldier?”

“She’s-” Aethina seemed to be searching for the right words. “She’s fiercely loyal to the Princess Alliance. Princess Glimmer is rarely seen without her. I would doubt her sincerity to our cause, Commander.”

Catra nodded. “Your heart’s in the right place, but there’s some information you don’t have - which you can’t have known - is that Adora is an old friend of mine, and I trust her completely.”

Aethina’s eyes widened. “Commander, what do you mean?”

“She means,” Adora supplied, a little wearily, “that I defected from the Horde and joined the Rebellion years ago - before she became Force Commander.”

“Does that mean…?” Aethina frowned, paused, and muttered, “some of the Horde recruits were talking about a Great Betrayer…”

Catra watched the gears turn behind Aethina’s eyes, and stage-whispered to Adora. “She’s about to figure it out.”

“Holy shit.” Aethina said, taking a step back. “You’re her. You’re She-Ra.”

“How do you figure that?” Adora said, concealing her surprise well.

“The Horde has this… story, I guess is the word, that they tell about the Great Betrayer. A loyal Horde soldier and Force Captain who abandoned the Horde years ago, back when She-Ra first showed up. And She-Ra just kind of… shows up when she’s needed, usually in the company of Princess Glimmer.” She pursed her lips, thinking some more, and gasped in surprise. “That’s what did it, isn’t it? You became She-Ra and left the Horde.”

Catra glanced sideways at Adora to see whether or not she would confirm the story. Adora was quiet for a bit, and then gave a small grin and looked over at Catra. “Well, Catra, you still think the Rebellion’s full of idiots?” 

“Hey,” Catra said, feeling slightly relieved but also noticing a tension in Adora’s posture. “Aethina joined up here. She doesn’t count.” She turned to Aethina. “You’re allowed to have your doubts, but I hope you trust my judgment in this matter. If Adora says I can trust her, I can trust her.”

“Of course, Commander.” Aethina said. “You haven’t led us astray yet.”

“Glad to hear it.” Catra said. “Now, I seem to remember you being expected for combat training soon?”

“Shit! Sorry, Commander.” Aethina saluted and started to walk off, only for Catra to stop her once more.

“Don’t push yourself too hard now. Entrapta tells me you’ve still got some healing to do before we can have you back in the field.”

“Of course, Commander.” Aethina said, and walked off. 

“There is,” Catra said quietly to Adora, as the two continued on their way, “another part to the story the Horde tells - but fortunately Aethina was too polite to add it.”

“What’s that?” Adora asked, somewhat dreading the answer.

“That the Commander loved the Great Betrayer more than anything, and her betrayal is what drove the Commander to such great heights. It was the duty of every good Horde soldier to avenge the Commander’s broken heart. Not, of course,” Catra said with a grin, “that this was part of the  _ official _ story that Hordak promoted. But soldiers, as you’ve probably found, are fond of gossip - being the  _ consort _ of Princess Glimmer and all.”

“Oh gods, shut up.” Adora said, groaning. “If I have to hear one more rumor about which Princess I’m currently bedding, I’ll turn myself into the Horde and let them execute me. You know there’s even a rumor that I’m sleeping with She-Ra?”

“Now that,” Catra whispered with a wicked grin, “I might want to watch.”

Adora coughed and flushed crimson. “So,” she said in a voice several octaves higher than usual, “Operations is nearby?”

Catra cackled and received a shove for her troubles, which, as Adora had her arm around her shoulder for support, actually ended up pinning Catra against the wall. Catra found herself looking up into Adora’s eyes which went from annoyed to mischievous in an instant. 

“Oh look,” Adora whispered low, “the Great Betrayer has the Commander at her mercy.” She leaned in closer, and Catra felt her breath catch in her throat. “What  _ will _ she do with her, I wonder?”

Catra thanked whatever deities that were listening for the hallway being, at least for the moment, devoid of soldiers and surprised Adora by pulling her in for a kiss. Adora let out a delighted sound, and moved her arm to cup Catra’s face. Catra shuddered and wrapped her tail around Adora’s leg, and the two stayed that way for a little while. Much sooner than she would have preferred, Adora allowed Catra to pull back and break the kiss.  

“Gods,” Catra said, catching her breath, “I’ve waited all day to do that.” 

“How uh, how important is the rest of this tour?” Adora asked, feeling suddenly very disinterested in the workings of Catra’s organization.

“Sorry, Adora.” Catra said. “I’m afraid we’ve got a schedule to keep.”

Adora’s pout nearly made Catra reconsider her answer. “Fiiiiine.”

“You know, once upon a time,  _ you _ were the responsible one.” Catra said, with a snort. 

“What can I say?” Adora said, shooting a look at Catra that was best described as  _ heated _ , “I seem to have fallen in with a bad crowd.”

It took almost every ounce of Catra’s self-control to respond with nothing more than a laugh and a “Alright, we’re nearly there.” If they gave out medals for not shamelessly fucking in a hallway, Catra thought, she’d more than earned one. By the time they reached the doors to the operations center. 

Adora whistled, impressed. A bank of stolen Horde communications arrays lined the wall, staffed by operators speaking in low tones. A map of Etheria hung on the wall, with various pins indicating job offers and deployed resources adorning it. Scorpia sat at a desk in the center of the room, looking over some intel reports. She looked up with a warm smile on her face when she saw Catra and Adora. 

“Commander! Adora! Welcome to the heart of our operation.” She made a sweeping gesture around the room. “All our operations are run out of here - and we interview all our recruits in the room adjoining this one.”

“Isn’t that giving someone you may not be able to trust yet too much credit?”

“If someone makes it all the way here,” Catra said with a smile, “we can trust them.”

“We have a very thorough vetting process.” Scorpia added. “If we have any reason to doubt the loyalty of a recruit, they never make it here.”

For some reason, Adora felt the need to press the issue. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“And if we had any doubts,” Scorpia said cheerily, “you’d stay here. But the Commander vouched for you, which is about as good of an endorsement as you can get.”

Adora looked over at Catra, who shrugged. “I feel honored.” 

Catra gave a huff of laughter and indicated a door at the back of the room. “Anyway, as you’re our newest recruit - er, sort of - I figured we’d have a chat in the meeting room before we grab something to eat.” 

“Oh?” Adora said, grinning. “Are you going to-”

Catra held up a hand in warning. “I swear to gods Adora if you make a debriefing joke I’m kicking you out.”

“-ask me about my experiences, is what I was going to say before you so rudely interrupted with a tasteless and completely unnecessary joke?” Adora said, grinning even wider.

Catra groaned and looked at Scorpia. “You see what I have to put up with?”

Scorpia appeared delighted. “I think it’s cute, Commander.” 

A faint blush appeared on Catra’s face, and she scowled to make up for it. “Alright you’re both terrible. Great. Come on, Adora.”

The second the door to the meeting room shut, Adora felt herself growing nervous. It wasn’t being alone with Catra, it was being alone with Catra in a situation where she’d doubtless have to talk about Octavia and the forest. Neither were topics she wanted to revisit, particularly not when they were so recent, but she felt like she owed Catra that much at least for rescuing her. Catra’s organization was, if nothing else, a valuable ally in the fight against the Horde (even though neither Catra nor the Princess Alliance would necessarily see it that way).

Catra noticed the shift immediately. “Hey, Adora, it’s okay. We don’t have to -”

“I know, I know. I want to.” Adora took a deep breath. “Can I sit down?”

“Yeah, of course.” Catra said, with a slightly puzzled look. “This isn’t an interrogation. You don’t have to answer anything, but I’d be lying if I said we couldn’t use the intel. How’d they capture you?”

Adora grinned, a little cocky.. “I let them so that Glimmer and Bow would have a chance to escape.” She sighed. “Wasn’t my best plan, to be honest.”

“Bow - he was pretty badly wounded, according to our people.” Catra said. “What happened to him?”

“Squad of four came out of nowhere. Like, literally nowhere - we didn’t see them or hear them until they’d already shot him. There was this mist, like a shadowy fog. You know the type. The stuff that used to always cling to Shadow Weaver?”

Catra felt a chill run down her spine, but kept her face composed and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“It rolled in, and Glimmer tossed me the sword but I didn’t want to go all She-Ra and potentially blow our cover. Which was  _ stupid _ , because I could have shielded us and Bow would have… he wouldn’t have…” Adora’s hands were balled into fist, and she was shaking slightly. Catra reached out with her good hand, and Adora felt a little more grounded. She took a shuddering breath and continued. “Anyway, with him hurt I figured, ‘better if they get out alive,’ so I transformed back, tossed the sword to Glimmer, and hung back to fight the squad. Managed to take one down, but they were  _ fast _ , Catra. So much faster than I’m used to dealing with. She-Ra could have held her own, maybe, but… I wasn’t sure, and it was more important that Glimmer and Bow got away clean.”

“Yeah, but why give up the Sword?” Catra asked, still a little confused.

“If I die, the sword finds a new user - theoretically.” Adora said, quietly. “She-Ra isn’t replaceable, but  _ I _ am.”

“No you aren’t.” Catra said with a vehemence that surprised her. She’d let the comment slide the first time she’d heard it, but she refused to again. “Not to me, and not to the Rebellion - even if they don’t realize it.”

There was a flicker of some emotion on Adora’s face before she continued. “At any rate, I knew that Glimmer and Bow would come for me eventually, and I figured I would be able to hold out until they did, so it was an easy decision to make.” A flash of pain flitted across Adora’s face, then. “If I’d known… I might not have done it if I’d known Shadow Weaver was back in command.”

Catra felt her missing hand ache. “Yeah. I found that out myself when I interrogated one of the guards. Not exactly the sort of news I wanted to hear.”

"Had Entrapta been working on something to adapt the powers of the Black Garnet to soldiers?" Adora asked, the question having been on her mind from the beginning. "The way they moved… they were like Shadow Weaver, but without quite as much magic."

"If she ever looked into it, I wouldn't know." Catra said, feeling a little worried. "But Entrapta has always been more interested in the mechanical and not the biological." As if to punctuate her point, Catra unconsciously flexed her own mechanical hand. “What did they look like? The soldiers, I mean.”

“They had… masks connected to these tanks on their backs - kind of like the underwater breathing equipment we were trained on, remember?”

“I hated underwater training. Of course I remember.” Catra said, frowning. After a moment, she added, “I’ll have my intel team look into it, see if they can dig anything up.”

“There was something about that thing they strapped me into, too.” Adora said. “It wasn’t electricity that thing used. It was like what Shadow Weaver used to do when she'd...” she swallowed, forcing herself to continue, “punish you. And me, a few times.”

That Adora had ever found herself on the receiving end of one of Shadow Weaver's 'lessons' was news to Catra.“That’s…” she breathed out, “that’s new.” She hesitated, and then added, because better Adora heard it directly from her,  “We uh... we just used electricity when I was running things. Entrapta was against using the Black Garnet at all, really, after the first battle of Brightmoon.”

“I know. Frosta told us.” Adora said, and Catra felt a stab of regret. “She also told us that you’d been through the facility and left with most of the personnel there on some specialized mission, leaving them short-staffed when we came through.”

Catra shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Coincidence. It doesn’t make it better.”

“No.” Adora agreed. “But it helped. It showed me you were still… you. You’d go as far as you thought you needed to go, but you weren’t completely heartless.”

“Never sat right with me that you let her out on the battlefield.” Catra said, maybe seeking to divert some of the conversation away from what she’d done. “Even if she wanted to be there, you and I  _ know _ what it’s like to be that young and go to war.”

“It wasn’t my decision.” Adora said, a little defensively. “You think I didn’t fight to keep her out of it? But she was - is - a ruler, and I’m just… someone with a sword. My word didn’t carry much weight in those arguments.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply…” Catra sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. “No, I take it back. I definitely meant to imply. Seems like I go for your throat even when I don’t want to.”

“Yes, well,” Adora said, sensing that Catra was close to losing herself in an all-too-familiar spiral of self-loathing, “Sometimes I don’t mind you going for my throat.”

Catra laughed. “You know Entrapta noticed that, right? I’m never going to hear the end of it.”

Adora shrugged carelessly. “Small price to pay, don’t you think?”

A knock at the door kept Catra from responding, and Scorpia stuck her head in the room. “Perimeter guards just reported a uh, flying horse?”

“Guess lunch will have to wait,” Catra said, forcing down a sudden feeling of loss. “Let’s go meet your ‘fated steed’ or whatever the hell he is.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy fourth, I guess? It takes some time to get these out, as it turns out, because I get all caught up in fiddling with dialog and thinking up new ways for Adora to deliver sub-par innuendo. It's her new job. Also, trying to have Catra reckon with the fact that she was in charge of interrogations without like, getting too far down the rabbit hole was... Fucking Difficult. I don't think that's the last time she'll do it! 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy it! If you do, by all means hit the kudos button or leave a comment. If you don't, I guess don't hit the kudos button because that would send mixed messages, but comment anyway and let me know what doesn't work for you. I probably won't tailor things to fit your specific desires, but I will keep it in mind, at least.
> 
> We'll see how long it takes the next one to come out, eh? Swift Wind and Adora will have a discussion, and depending on how I'm feeling, Catra might catch a break. Also at some point I'll remember this was a Metal Gear-flavored story and we'll get back to that. Think I said that last time too, didn't I?


	22. Complications and Catharsis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora's departure gets delayed. Scorpia runs interference. Catra gives Adora a distraction. Adora provides Catra assurance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I find myself feeling the urge to provide some sort of content warning, even though there's not much different from what we've already done in this particular tale. So instead of getting into the nitty and/or gritty of it all, I'll just say this:
> 
> Depending on your mother's opinions on certain subjects, this might not be a chapter you want to read with your mother in the room.

A screaming cut across the sky. Soldiers in the middle of training stopped, looking in the direction of the base with wide eyes, while inside the base other personnel dashed to the armory. The security team was already mobilized and sprinting in the direction of the screams. It was Scorpia who finally appeared outside the doors to one of the outbuildings that had yet to be renovated into something useful, gave a few curt orders that nobody was to enter, and then, perhaps out of pity, assured the few nervous soldiers that everything was under control. The soldiers would probably not have believed her if not for the fact that the screaming quite suddenly cut off. Those who knew Scorpia well would have noticed that she quickly covered up a look of relief on her face before heading back inside.

Adora was unconscious on the ground, and Catra was crouched next to her with a frantic look on her face. Swift Wind loomed over the two of them, looking confused. The Sword of Protection lay forgotten in the corner where it had landed after Catra knocked it out of Adora’s hand. 

“Adora! Hey! Wake up!” Catra’s voice had an edge of panic. “Come on, I need you to wake up. I need you to -”

Adora’s eyes suddenly shot open and she sat up with a gasp. She looked around in confusion before her eyes focused on Catra. “What… what happened?”

“You took the sword and came in here to transform into She-Ra - you know, to heal up?” Swift Wind said, looking a little confused. “But something weird happened - you transformed like normal, but then it was like you were being electrocuted. You started screaming, Catra knocked the Sword out of your hand, and you collapsed and changed back to your normal self.”

“It’s like…” Catra frowned, “something interfered with your power. Like that corrupt program Entrapta found that one time, except instead of driving you crazy it just… tried to kill you. I don’t know.” She shuddered involuntarily. “It reminded me of… you know, _her_.”

Adora shook her head again, trying to clear it. “Electrocuted, you said?”

“Yeah,” Swift Wind said, nodding, and would have snapped his fingers if he had them instead of hooves, “you know what? It was like… remember when Glimmer’s powers weren’t working? After you pulled her out of the Fright Zone?” 

A cold feeling settled in Adora’s gut. “So. It _was_ her powers.” 

“How did Glimmer fix her powers?” Catra asked.

“She didn’t.” Adora said, shortly. “She kind of powered through it in the end, because her mom was in danger.” 

“I remember.” Catra said, quietly. 

Scorpia spoke up. “But that’s fine, then, right? It will pass eventually, and then you’ll be back to your old self?”

Adora’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. It’s not… It hurt so much, I don’t know if I can push through it - and She-Ra’s already been out of commission for nearly a week. There’s gotta be a treatment or something that can fix it quicker.”

Catra put a reassuring hand on Adora’s shoulder. “Entrapta might be able to figure something out.”

“It was Entrapta’s research that probably caused this in the first place!” Adora said with a sudden vehemence, shaking Catra’s hand off her shoulder. 

“So let her make up for it.” Catra said, refusing to be baited into a fight. “You _know_ she’s probably the only one who knows anything about runestones interacting with each other. She can check you out, see if there’s a way we can treat you here. If not…”

“If not,” Adora said, sighing, “I’ll have to see Light Hope.” A flicker of the anger that had briefly animated her flitted across her face again.

Catra noticed the tension and quickly came to a decision. “So, blinding pain aside… did it work? Are your injuries...better?”

Adora stretched, then prodded at her ribs experimentally and stood up, testing ler leg. She brightened up a little. “Seems like it! That’s… that’s good.” Her tone of voice seemed to suggest she did not necessarily consider the development all that good.

With a nod, Catra grabbed Adora by the arm. “Good. Follow me, then.”

“Where are we going?” Adora asked, a little surprised at Catra’s brisk pace.

“You said you wanted to follow me.” Catra said, not looking back at her. “There’s something every new recruit gets the chance to do.”

“Which is what, exactly?” Adora asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Even though Adora couldn’t quite see her face, Catra smiled as she opened the doors to the training grounds. “Catharsis.”

The grounds were still busy, and Catra quickly dismissed the salutes of the soldiers training there, making for the sparring grounds. Adora, still slightly confused, allowed herself to be pulled along. When they reached the arena, Catra let go of Adora’s hand and continued walking to the center, then turned to face Adora.

“Everyone who joins up,” Catra said, sounding a little rehearsed, “makes a commitment to let old grudges and loyalties die. But before they do, I give them a chance to vent their frustrations. To face a suitable avatar of the cause of their pain and the leaders who abandoned them, neglected them, considered them little more than pawns.”

Adora nodded, suspecting the answer to her question before she asked it. “Which is?”

“Me.” Catra said, then shrugged. “So. How about it, Adora? I’m responsible for your current situation. I brought Entrapta to the Horde, turned her against you, caused you to lose your connection to She-Ra. I spent years fighting you, trying to kill you and your friends. I’m the Horde.” She took up a fighting stance. “Defeat me.”

Adora looked somewhat reluctant. “Are you sure? I forgave you for all that a long time ago.”

“Absolutely.” Catra said, smiling dangerously. “Unless you’ve forgotten how to fight without turning yourself into a giant princess.”

That seemed to spark something in Adora, and she narrowed her eyes and dropped into a fighting stance. “Fine. One more time.”

The two circled each other warily, each looking for an opening. Catra struck first, feinting a strike before whirling around into a spinning kick that Adora only barely managed to block. Catra smirked, only to dive backwards a second later as Adora responded to her attack with a swift backhanded strike that Catra dropped to the ground to avoid. Adora followed up with a kick that Catra pushed herself off the ground to dodge, propelling herself up into a backflip. She landed on her feet, and it was Adora’s turn to smirk.

Then, they really started fighting. Adora found, quite astonishingly, that she’d been wanting to do this for what felt like forever. Catra had been a focus for Adora’s frustrations for so long, and to  have the chance to meet in hand to hand combat again, without the fate of the world hanging in the balance, with just their own skills and training to determine the victor, was freeing. Catra was equally surprised, but for different reasons. Most of the time, Catra considered the recruiting fights to be part of a long, bloody penance that she’d never see the end of. Every fight was a chance for one of the people she’d wronged - directly or indirectly - to take it out on her. On more than one occasion, it had been very nearly a fight for her life. 

Fighting with Adora, however, felt different. She’d thought, initially, that it would feel the same way - and give her the opportunity to work out her own frustrations for a change. When she reached for her anger, however, she couldn’t find it. Instead, she just felt exhilaration. It was almost like they’d never stopped - like the last several years of Catra vs She-Ra had never happened, and they were sparring cadets again, competing under the watchful eye of a feared, hated, loved guardian. 

Adora managed to land the first blow, a vicious punch that caught Catra in the jaw and twisted her body to the side. Catra used the momentum to spin around and land a kick that caught Adora in the ribs, and the two briefly broke apart, breathing heavily. Catra wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth and grinned. 

“Ah,” she said, “I remember _that_ punch.” She laughed, bared her teeth, and moved back in to attack. “Let’s see if you’ve learned anything new.”

This time, Catra began to use her advantage in speed to get around Adora, keeping her on her back foot. She managed to land a hit or two on Adora’s shoulders, throwing her momentum off. Adora, to Catra’s delight, adjusted her stance accordingly and with a surprising suddenness was not just using the momentum of Catra’s blows to turn faster, she was launching counterattacks to boot that landed blows on Catra’s ribs. Catra stumbled in an outward spiral, getting distance from Adora to catch her breath before darting back in, attempting to catch her off guard. There was another flurry of blows, until Adora reared back to deliver a haymaker just as Catra ducked low to deliver a brutal uppercut. Both blows landed, sending the two sprawling backwards into the dirt.

For a moment, neither moved. Then, Adora started laughing and sprang back to her feet. Catra did the same, except that while Adora laughed, Catra took the opportunity to tackle her back to the ground, where she perched on her chest with a satisfied look.

“Got you.” Catra crowed.

Adora had not stopped laughing, but twisted and flipped, causing Catra to give an undignified shout of surprise as she found herself suddenly on her back. This, Catra thought, clearly would not stand - and quite suddenly the two were grappling on the ground, trading position until they finally came to rest - with Catra in control - at the edge of the arena. The two were both exhausted and breathing heavily, drenched in sweat. Catra looked down at Adora and grinned before sitting back on her heels and standing up. She held a hand out to help Adora up. 

“Feel better?” 

“Yeah,” Adora said, before giving Catra a searching look. “Do you?”

Catra’s grin widened and she nodded. “Yeah, I really do.” 

It was at that point the two realized that a sizeable crowd had formed during their fight. Catra was about to say something when Scorpia appeared and did it for her.

“Don’t you lot have training to be doing? Back to it!”

The crowd dispersed, a few snatches of conversation which all seemed to relate to how evenly-matched the fight had been (as well as a few Horde vets explaining who the Great Betrayer was) echoing in the open air. Adora and Catra were left (relatively) alone in the arena. Scorpia approached the two, waving cheerily at them. “Hey Commander! Thought I might find you two here.”

Catra shrugged. “I figured Adora would want a chance to see how well her leg healed. Plus, all the recruits get to fight me if they want, and she’s…” she cast a sideways glance at Adora, “Well, she’s close enough.”

Scorpia nodded. “Of course, Commander. Anyway, I came here to tell you that Entrapta says she’s busy with some wounded who came back this afternoon so she won’t be able to take a look at Adora until tomorrow.”

“Sounds fine.” Catra said. “Adora, do you mind sticking around a little longer?” 

Adora grinned. “I think I can probably make some time.”

“Oh right!” Scorpia clacked a claw, remembering something suddenly. “She also wanted to remind Adora about their discussion this morning? Something about not having to stay in the infirmary?”

Adora looked sideways at Catra and smiled. “I think I’ve got a plan for that.”

Catra kept a completely neutral expression and nodded thoughtfully. “Anything else, Scorpia?”

“I don’t think so. Our recon patrol near the Fright Zone border is set to check in with us by nightfall, and uh, the horse?”

“Pegasus.” Adora said, absently.

“Right, that. He said something about needing to get word to the others and took off.” Scorpia shrugged. “I couldn’t think of a reason to keep him here so I let him go.”

Catra frowned, a little worried. “Would’ve liked to have a serious discussion with him about the value of not telling anyone where we are, but…”

“It’ll be fine.” Adora said, trying not to show her own annoyance at Swift Wind leaving without saying goodbye first. “He already knows.”

Catra nodded and began walking. “Well. come on then Adora. I’ll show you the barracks and you can pick a place to stay.” 

Adora waited until they were walking down an empty hallway before she spoke up. “Hey Catra, I was uh, thinking…”

“Hmm?” 

It was ridiculous, Adora thought, that she was suddenly so nervous. It made no sense. They’d kissed in the hallway that very morning, and if not for Catra breaking things off, might have very well gone further. By comparison, this should have been simple. Things were, she thought, clearer between the two of them than they’d been in ages. “If uh, well, I mean…”

Catra looked at her with a confused expression. “Spit it out, Adora. Something wrong?”

“No no, it’s just um. I feel like I’d get a lot of questions that I don’t want to answer if I stayed in the barracks. So can I just… can I stay with you? If.. if that’s okay?”

Catra stared at Adora like she’d grown two heads. “I thought that was obvious. Did you really think... did you think I wouldn’t say yes?”

“I just… didn’t want to assume?” 

Catra started laughing. “You,” she said, “are an idiot.”

Adora grumbled something about being polite and blushed. Catra chuckled again and grabbed Adora by the hand again. “Come on then, Great Betrayer. I’ll show you your quarters.”

The two made their way past the barracks to the officer’s quarters. Catra shoved the door open, muttering a curse. “This door always sticks a little. Part of the problem of basically renovating a ruin is that some things don’t quite get fixed the way they used to be.” 

Adora shrugged. “That just gives it a little more personality, right?”

“Ha! Maybe so.” Catra said. “At any rate, you can see there’s not much here apart from a bed and a desk - I’d rather the men not think that I’m in some lavish digs while they sleep in an open barracks. We’re hoping to build some proper dormitories eventually, get them their own rooms, or at least something a little less open.” Catra was rambling now, and she wasn’t quite sure why. “We’re just kind of waiting for some more supplies. Oh, and some recruits who are a little more experienced with construction and the like. Surprisingly, we haven’t gotten a lot of engineers joining up yet.” She shrugged, and was going to continue when the feeling of Adora’s arms wrapping around her waist distracted her.

Adora rested her chin on Catra’s shoulder and breathed deep. “You smell terrible.” 

Catra snorted. “You don’t exactly smell like roses either, Adora. That’s what tends to happen after y-”

Adora pressed a kiss, feather-light, right at the juncture between Catra’s neck and shoulder, which caused her breath to catch and completely derailed her train of thought. “Perhaps,” Adora said, faux-thoughtfully, “we should do something about that.”

Catra hummed thoughtfully, but there was a sudden tension in her posture that Adora did not fail to notice. “Perhaps.” she agreed, “You can go first. Since I’m trying to be a good host, and all.”

Ignoring the stab disappointment that Catra wasn’t going to join her, Adora placed another kiss on Catra’s cheek. “You’re a fine host. I’ll have to think of a way to thank you later.”

“Just don’t hog all the hot water.” Catra said, a little distractedly. “Oh, there’s a change of clothes for you too on the bed. Figured you might ask to share a room.”

“Am I that predictable?”

“Well,” Catra said, looking a little embarrassed, still with a growing tension in her posture, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t kind of hoping you’d ask.”

Adora laughed and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door half-open in what was a blatant invitation. Catra, for her part, walked out of sight so that she could freak out in private. She’d been thinking about getting Adora alone for most of the day - but now that they _were_ alone, she was suddenly aware of all the scars and missing fur on her body, to say nothing of her missing arm. How could Adora be anything but repulsed? 

By the time Adora finished her shower and walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and still damp, Catra was close to skipping a shower completely just to avoid the possibility of Adora seeing her. Adora gave Catra a curious look. “Hey, you in there?”

Catra startled a little, before suddenly coming back to herself. “Huh? Yeah, yeah I’m… yeah.”

“Shower’s free.” Adora said, pointing over her shoulder. “I even left you some hot water.”

“Aw, you really do like me.” Catra said, quickly attempting to pretend everything was fine (and, though she didn’t know, failing to fool Adora for a second). She hopped in the shower and tried very hard to stop thinking. It was not much of a success. Growling in frustration, she flipped off the hot water entirely and welcomed the shock to her system, because _that_ , at least, kept her from thinking more for a little while.

As she was drying off, there was a soft rap at the door. Adora cleared her throat on the other side and spoke quietly. “Hey, Catra. Are you okay in there?”

“I’m…” Catra tried to finish the sentence with ‘fine,’ but suddenly something in her rebelled against the notion. She swallowed and tried again. “It’s… it’s nothing,” she managed, but then sighed and slumped against the wall. “No, that’s not true.”

Adora nodded decisively. “I’m coming in.”

Catra felt a flare of panic and scrambled to wrap herself up in a towel, then, looking frantically for her arm, settled for merely folding it behind her back once she realized she couldn’t possibly get it on in the few seconds it would take the door to open. Her eye met Adora’s with shock, as Adora stood framed in the doorway with a look of deep concern on her face. She approached Catra slowly and gently but firmly pulled her into a hug. 

“It’s okay.” Adora said, quietly. “You’re okay.” 

Catra was caught between the desire to cling to Adora and the desire to push her away and try to recover. Adora loosened her grip to give Catra the option to back out if she wanted to and murmured, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

It was the promise that did it, breaking down whatever was left of Catra’s resolve and the urge to cling to Adora won out. “I’m sorry,” Catra whispered, “You shouldn’t have to…” she wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. “I’m not who you knew,” she settled on, “I’m just the wreckage of what was.”

Adora shook her head, and Catra allowed herself to be pulled forward out of the bathroom, leaving her eyepatch and arm behind. As she led Catra over to the bed, Adora spoke in an almost chiding voice. “You’re wrong, Catra. You aren’t wreckage. You’re a survivor. You survived everything, and you put yourself back together, and you _rescued me_. You’re stronger than before.” 

She guided Catra into a sitting position, and traced a hand over the jagged scar running across Catra’s ruined eye. Catra pulled back from the touch, and Adora let her, but continued talking in the same tone, with a steel certainty. “Your eye wasn’t you. Your arm wasn’t you. The prosthetic, the eyepatch, they’re as much you as everything else. They’re symbols of your survival. The survival of the strongest person I know. The survival of the woman I love more than anything else.”

Catra couldn’t meet Adora’s eyes. It was too much to take in. How could any of this be true? How could Adora look at her broken body and see anything but a horror? Summoning what little courage she had left, she finally managed to turn and face Adora, only to be confronted by an expression that was so full of adoration it took her breath away. Catra tried to find something she could say in response, but settled for pulling Adora into a kiss that annihilated all doubt as to who Adora was to her. Adora was almost staggered by it, driven backwards into the mattress. Catra loomed over her, a fire in her eye, the towel long since forgotten - had it even made it out of the bathroom? - neither of them had noticed. Adora’s eyes traced the scars running across Catra’s torso, the missing chunks of skin replaced by knots of scar tissue, the places where fur could never grow again. Then her fingers began doing the tracing, the dull pressure of Adora’s fingers on scar tissue contrasted by the sensation of her fingers on healthy skin sending sparks across Catra’s body. Catra scooped Adora up with her missing hand, her good hand grabbing the hem of Adora’s shirt and, quite insistently, rucking it upwards, which Adora was only too happy to help her accomplish. Catra found herself momentarily speechless, and suddenly nervous. 

“Hey,” Adora said, looking up at Catra, “It’s just me, okay?”

 _That’s the thing,_ Catra thought to herself, _it’s_ you. Adora was breathtakingly beautiful, no way around it, and the idea that she was giving Catra permission - _encouragement_ , even, to explore her, took a moment for Catra to process. 

Perhaps sensing this, Adora pulled Catra into another searing kiss, guiding Catra’s good hand down her side to her hip, then slowly helped with the removal of her shorts. Once that final bit of clothing was out of the way, it really just became a race to see who could memorize the topography of the other first. Adora’s back arched up, an invitation Catra took full advantage of, marking Adora as hers, undeniably hers, relishing the way Adora’s breath hitched as she urged Catra on. Then, quite suddenly, Adora decided she needed to leave some marks of her own, and she reversed their positions, pinning Catra down. 

Catra found herself paradoxically unprepared for the assault in spite of having dreamed of exactly this for the gods knew how long, feeling the way Adora’s long hair tickled as Adora traveled inevitably downwards, until, with her good hand fisted in her hair, she came with a ragged shout and a curse. In surprisingly short order, Adora found herself spouting equal swears and curses in the language of the First Ones as she rode Catra’s face to a climax of her own that felt as if it went on for an eternity. When she finally came back to herself, she levered herself off of Catra’s face and wrapped Catra up in her arms again.

For a while, neither spoke, though whether it was because they weren’t sure what to say or because they were both still trying to catch their breaths was unclear. Adora spoke first.

“That was…”

“Yeah.”

“I’m… I want you to know,” Adora said, “that I meant every word I said. Every word.”

Catra smiled and kissed Adora, sweet and slow and taking her time. “I know you did. And I’m… I believe you. Even if I’m not always sure it’s true.”

“It is.” Adora said. “You’ll realize that eventually. And when you aren’t sure, tell me so I can provide assurance.”

“I think,” Catra replied, her fingers already starting to trace a rather daring pattern on Adora’s skin, “I could get used to your particular method of assurance.”

Then, because Catra knew her meeting wasn’t for a few more hours, they did it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I'm sure I fucked this one up. Like, 100%, absolute bone-certainty that I've flown too close to the sun. Yet in spite of that I'm putting it up anyway. No word of a lie, since bringing the post new chapter page up I've already gone back and re-worked it _twice_ in between writing the note at the beginning and this note here. 
> 
> Three times.
> 
> This is where things pay off, really. It's also where we get into some of the other things Catra has to deal with, and give Adora a chance to really lay it all out on the table. 
> 
> You know, that and shoehorn in both a Gravity's Rainbow reference and another Metal Gear Solid line. 
> 
> Four times.
> 
> I was going to do more stuff with Swift Wind, but then I just had Adora and Catra fight instead, and once they'd done _that_ (five) the next part kind of insisted upon me writing it, and I actually forgot he was supposed to be there at all, really, until Adora was already in the shower, so I just had Scorpia take care of it for me (six). Sloppy writing, I know.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, commenting, telling your friends, and everything else. Seven times. Okay that's enough revising for now. Time to click publish and ride this nuke right into history. Although I reserve the right to remove the whole thing later.
> 
> Next chapter will, most likely, not show up until after season three drops. I'm sure you will all manage to survive, somehow, especially because you'll have a season's worth of She-Ra to watch, which I can guarantee will be better than this.


	23. Domesticity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora wakes up. Lonnie loses a bet. Catra cooks.

Adora woke up alone in Catra’s bed, the fading rays of the sun coating the room in a deep orange. She was, she realized,  _ starving _ . Stretching, she hopped out of bed and looked around the room for any sign of Catra. Disappointingly, there was only a note left on the desk.

_ Hey, Adora. Had to meet with Scorpia. Come be my excuse to cut the meeting short and we’ll grab dinner, okay? _

In place of a signature, there was a tiny doodle of Catra’s face. Adora smiled fondly and hopped into the shower, where she noticed several scratches which, she presumed, were a result of their earlier activities. She filed that away as something to tease Catra about later and pulled on a fresh uniform. It appeared that Catra had made arrangements to have multiple sets of clothing delivered, which brought another smile to her face. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who’d hoped to stick around for a while. 

Opening the door, Adora headed in the direction of the Commander’s office, or at least where she thought the Commander’s office was. This time was surprised to see the hallways seemed a bit more crowded - presumably down to training sessions finishing up or soldiers returning from operations. Adora recognized one soldier from the training grounds, an older man whose hair carried a few streaks of grey. He stopped as she approached.

“That was impressive out there,” he said. “The only other person I’ve seen fight the Commander to a standstill was Captain Scorpia, and that was after she’d fought four others. You’re pretty good.”

Adora shrugged. “I got a few lucky hits in, that’s all. She’s a formidable fighter.”

“Ha! Formidable doesn’t begin to describe it.” The soldier laughed. “She had me on the ground in something like thirty seconds. I’ve been in a lot of fights in my day, but I’ve never faced anyone like her before. There’s something about the way she fights that I’ve never seen before - the way she uses your own momentum against you…” he gave Adora a meaningful look. “I was surprised to see someone else use a similar technique.”

Adora had a decision: either admit that she and Catra had sort of developed the style on their own, which was as good as saying precisely who she was, or try to avoid the matter and maintain a little anonymity - however long that would last. “Oh, well, you know…” she said, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, “I’m a fast learner, I guess.” It was only after she said this that it occurred to her that if he’d watched the fight he knew exactly who she was, as multiple Horde soldiers had been very excitedly talking about seeing the Great Betrayer fight the Commander, and she winced in embarrassment.

The old man gave her a sympathetic look. “You’re not very good at lying, are you?”

Adora gave a rueful chuckle. “No. I’m not.”

“It’s not a bad thing, you know,” he said, “to desire anonymity. I’ll spare you the questions about which stories about you are true.”

“Most of them probably aren’t.” Adora said, sighing. “But I appreciate your restraint.”

“Well,” the old man said, “I did have one question.”

“Which is?”

“What made you leave?”

“I saw what the Horde was doing.” Adora said, shrugging. “Once I saw that, I couldn’t stay.”

“And the Commander? Why didn’t she go with you?”

“Because,” Adora said, with a sigh, “I didn’t ask her to come with me until it was too late.”

The soldier nodded thoughtfully. “I see. It must have been quite the sacrifice to leave her behind.”

“Yes.” Adora said. “It was.”

Perhaps realizing he’d overstepped some boundary, the soldier inclined his head in a polite bow. “Thank you for indulging an old soldier’s curiosity. I’m sure you’ve got things to do.”

“It’s no trouble,” Adora said, not entirely truthfully, “but thank you all the same.” She nodded in dismissal and continued on her way. 

Catra’s face lit up in absolute delight at the sight of Adora sticking her head into the doorway, a wide grin splitting her features. “Hey, Adora. Come to save me from this paperwork?”

Adora knew that she was probably smiling in a manner best described as ridiculously smitten, and she didn’t really care. “Hey, Catra. What kind of paperwork?”

“Report from our scouts along the Fright Zone border. Sounds like your horse did the job - the Rebellion forces have pulled back and are no longer putting themselves in danger looking for you. Oh, and there’s this too,” she said, indicating another paper, “regarding the rumors that got you and your friends to walk into a trap.”

“The walking tank thing?” Adora asked, curiosity raised. “What about it?”

“Well,” Catra said, feeling strangely pleased about being able to provide assistance, “it turns out there’s some element of the control systems they can’t quite figure out. The uh… gyro stabilization in particular.”

Adora gave her a blank look. “Meaning?”

“It can’t walk.” Catra said, resisting the urge to cackle. “Entrapta had been working on it for a while, but she took her notes with her when she left. It’s basically a worthless platform at this point.”

“What about the cannon?” Adora asked, “Do you have anything on that?”

“Cannon?” Catra sounded confused. “What cannon?”

“Something I found when I infiltrated the R&D labs - it was a hybrid of Horde and First Ones tech that was meant to neutralize runestone powers.”

“Ah,” Catra said, “that.” She looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, I don’t know what the status on that is. Hordak kind of… kept me out of the loop on that one. Entrapta worked on the theory of it, but I don’t know how involved in the actual manufacture of it she was - you can ask her about it when you see her tomorrow.”

“I’m surprised Hordak kept you out of the loop.” Adora said, a little taken aback. 

Catra gave a crooked smile. “The tech side of things were never my strong suit, if we’re being honest. As for Hordak, he was less concerned with the day-to-day operations and spent most of his time working on tech. As long as I stayed out of his way as far as tech was concerned, I had run of the rest of the Horde’s operations.” She sighed, a little wistfully. “It was a pretty good arrangement, until he decided to have me killed.”

Adora gave a huff of laughter and decided not to voice the thought that immediately jumped into her head, which was that she was actually kind of glad Hordak decided to have Catra killed. It was, after all, that decision which had contributed to the current state of affairs. “I don’t mean to distract you from your work, but I believe you mentioned something about dinner?”

Catra stood up from behind her desk decisively. “Ah, so you  _ did  _ get my note. Yeah, you ended up sleeping a little longer than I planned, but fortunately for us the kitchen stays open to all provided you document what you take between the scheduled meals.”

“Wait,” Adora said, suddenly seeming nervous, “you mean you’re going to  _ cook _ ?”

“Hey,” Catra said, with a grin that walked right up to the edge of salacious, “I’ve got all  _ kinds _ of talents you don’t know about yet.”

To her immense satisfaction, Adora blushed. As the two made their way to the mess hall, they ran into Lonnie, who seemed to be covered in dirt. 

“Oh hey Adora,” Lonnie said, casually, “heard you were around.”

“Lonnie!” Adora said, bounding up to her and wrapping her up in a hug, “Great to see you again! Rogelio told me you and Kyle made it here.”

Lonnie, never one for physical contact in the best of times, gently pried Adora’s arms off her. “Yeah, we made it no problems. Heard you took kind of an unconventional route to get to us.” 

“Oh you know Adora,” Catra said, unable to resist, “always making things more complicated than they have to be.”

Lonnie snorted. “Don’t I know it.” At Adora’s offended “Hey!” she chuckled. “Don’t worry Adora, the Commander’s just as bad as you are.” A grin crept across her features. “Guess I should offer some congratulations to the two of you, huh?”

Adora looked confused. “Why?” 

“Because y’all finally hooked up.” Lonnie said, as if it was obvious. “Honestly, I had a bet with Rog’ that it would take longer, but I guess he knew something I didn’t.”

“I don’t know what you could possibly be talking about.” Adora said, her voice sounding strangled. 

Lonnie laughed. “Must be my mistake. I think I’ll probably pay up to Rogelio just to be safe, though.”

Catra’s first instinct was to lie - but then she thought,  _ who cares?  _ and grinned, shaking her head. “Should’ve known Rogelio would take the under. That dude’s a romantic at heart.” She suppressed a laugh at the way Adora’s head whipped around to stare at her in shock.

“I’m sayin’, right?” Lonnie shook her head in wonder. “Anyway, I gotta get out of these clothes - you’ll be glad to know, Commander, that we got a new field cleared and planted today.”

“That’s great news!” Catra said, looking thrilled. “We’re ahead of schedule now. We should be self-sufficient by the time harvest season rolls around.”

“Looks like it.” Lonnie said, with a hint of pride. “Beats the hell out of patrol duty any day.”

There was an almost motherly look in Catra’s eye as she gave Lonnie’s shoulder a squeeze. “Glad to hear it. You let me know if your team needs extra manpower, we’ll see about rounding up some more volunteers.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Lonne said. “I’ll let you know. Loudly. Repeatedly.” She waved. “See you around, Adora.” There was a pause, and with a wicked grin, she added,  “Don’t keep the Commander up  _ too _ late, now.”

Adora’s response was lost in the sound of Lonnie’s laughter as she walked away. Catra threw her arm around Adora’s shoulder, pulled her in, and laughed, overcome by a sudden feeling of joy. “Come on, Adora, who cares who knows what we’ve been up to? I’ve got this stir-fry that’ll change your fucking life.”

True to her word, as soon as they arrived in the mess hall and made for the kitchen, Catra started pulling out various vegetables and directed Adora to slice them up while she began collecting some spices and other cooking implements. It was so unlike anything they’d ever done before, Adora thought as she worked, but at the same time there was a familiarity to it, like they’d been waiting to do something like this their whole lives. A sigh escaped her, causing Catra to cock her head in concern.

“Something wrong?”

Adora shook her head. “No, it’s just…” she hesitated slightly, then gathered her strength and continued, “when I infiltrated the Fright Zone, and I found out you were dead - or at least, the Horde at large thought you were dead - I uh, I started to hear your voice in my head. You know, thinking what you’d say and whatever. Then on the way out, I got wounded and maybe hallucinated you a little.”

Catra winced in sympathy. “God, Adora, I’m sorry.”

“No no, it’s just…” Adora smiled crookedly, “well okay it  _ did _ suck, but when I was in the worst of it, all I could think about was how I wanted to see you again, and just go somewhere away from everything to figure our shit out and then just… live out my days with you in peace.” Her expression softened, and she whispered, “Right now feels kinda like I imagined it could if we did.”

Catra felt a rush of a feeling she couldn’t quite place, a mixture of love for Adora and sadness because she knew deep down that the dream would have to stay a dream. Even if the war ended, both of them would have so much to do yet - Adora would doubtless need to be around to keep the peace, and Catra… well, she’d have to figure out how to deal with what would surely be an influx of Horde soldiers with nowhere to go, and the possibility that with the Horde no longer a threat, the Alliance would finally give some thought to bringing in the Force Commander behind so many attacks on Brightmoon. 

“Well,” she said, in an equally soft voice, “guess we’ll have to make sure we keep an eye out for a suitable spot.”

Adora’s smile could have outshone the sun. “Yeah,” she said, “we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter, because once again I couldn't bring myself to continue after the last line. It felt too right! 
> 
> I've been watching Evo all weekend instead of devouring Season 3 of She-Ra, but I hear tell there's some Heavy Angst to be had, so have some absolutely shameless adorable dorks being domestic. Consider it the calm before the storm - after all, She-Ra's still locked away, the Horde is still under new (old) management, and Hordak, like Dracula, is still a threat.
> 
> Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, thanks for the kudos, thanks for making the world slightly better by being around. See you next time.


	24. Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora is tested. Catra is tormented. Entrapta learns something she wishes she hadn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, the warning from last chapter also applies to this chapter. 
> 
> Oh let me also add that I really, quite strongly suggest you watch Season 3 before you read, because I took some information revealed there and used it here, mostly because it gave me a great excuse to bring in some more stuff from the Metal Gear series.

“Are you ready?” Entrapta called out.

Adora was laying on a bed, holding the Sword of Protection. A series of leads ran from the sword blade to a bank of computers, along with another series of leads attached to Adora’s head and chest. Catra was leaning against the wall watching her like a hawk and trying to resist the urge to start pacing nervously. She caught Adora’s eye and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. Adora seemed to relax a little.

“Ready.” She said, in what Catra thought was a remarkably calm voice considering what she was about to do to herself.

Entrapta clapped her hands excitedly, caught herself, and took a deep breath. “Okay, we’re recording data - initiate transformation.” 

“For the honor of Greyskull!” Adora said, and her body became a brief supernova as she shifted into She-Ra’s larger form. 

There was a brief second where she seemed okay, and Catra felt a wave of relief. Then, the golden light was replaced by flashes of red. She-Ra’s body convulsed, and Entrapta started yelling something about Emergency Shutdown Procedures and Emily’s familiar bulk heaved into view, shooting a cable that wrapped around the sword and pulled it out of She-Ra’s hands. There was, as before, another explosion of light as She-Ra’s form shrank back down into Adora’s now unconscious form. 

Catra rushed forward and immediately began checking Adora over. “Is she-?”

“She’ll be fine, Commander, she’s just unconscious.” Entrapta said, reassuringly, “The transformation being blocked puts considerable strain on her body, but the regenerative properties of the She-Ra construct compensate. As long as we don’t overdo it, she should be fine. Also, I got some great data!”

Catra felt a flare of anger at Entrapta’s seeming nonchalance toward Adora’s condition and reminded herself that Entrapta was  _ helping _ . “That’s… good.” 

“Oh, sorry. I get carried away sometimes.” Entrapta placed a reassuring hair tendril on Catra’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay. If it’s Horde tech causing the problem, I’ll figure it out.”

“And if it isn’t?” Catra said, feeling suddenly sick. “If it’s… if it’s… Shadow Weaver?” 

“I’ll still figure it out.” Entrapta said, a little stubbornly. “Magic is just technology we don’t understand yet, after all!”

Catra felt some of the tension in her shoulders loosen. “Thanks, Entrapta. I owe you one.”

“No, I owe Adora.” Entrapta said, a look of regret flickering across her features. “It’s my research that caused this.”

“It’s your research that will  _ fix _ it.” Catra said, firmly.

“Probably!” Entrapta said, brightening back up. “It’s a shame that my lab partner couldn’t help with this problem. Research went faster when we were working together.” Her expression darkened. “Then he tried to kill you. I should have seen it coming. I could have talked him out of it.”

This time it was Catra who placed a hand on Entrapta’s shoulder. “Hey, you  _ saved my life _ , remember? I should’ve seen it coming too - if I’d kept an eye on Shadow Weaver maybe she would’ve let something slip.”  _ Or if I’d come with Adora to begin with instead of obsessing over feeling sorry for myself, maybe  _ none _ of this would have happened _ , she didn’t add.  _ If I’d just tried for a minute to do anything that didn’t involve lashing out and blaming the world for everything I did. If… _

A groan from Adora broke Catra’s quickly spiraling train of thought and swiftly redirected her attention. “Adora?”

“Hey, I didn’t scream this time.” Adora said, sounding pained. “Does that count as progress?”

“It does keep us from having to reassure the troops that we’re not running a torture outfit.” Catra said, covering her relief with a wry smile. She stroked Adora’s head gently. “You did great. Entrapta got some good data to work with.” 

“It’s  _ fascinating _ , Adora!” Entrapta said, waving a tablet around. “The amount of potential energy stored in that sword of yours is downright incredible! You could power the whole base using it and still not even come close to stressing its limits! I don’t like using the same word again so soon but this is  _ fascinating! _ ”

“And the interference?” Adora asked, trying to bring Entrapta back on task.

“I’m less sure about that. It’s an energy signature I’m not familiar with.”

“So it’s not coming from the Black Garnet?” 

“Not unless the energy signature of the Black Garnet has changed significantly. Maybe…” Entrapta trailed off and seemed to think. “I need time to sift through this data.”

Adora took a deep breath, and nodded. “How long do you need?”

“I don’t know. Science takes time! Maybe in the next few days if I don’t sleep? Scorpia is pretty firm about me sleeping, but if I  _ pretend _ to sleep until  _ she’s  _ asleep, then I can -”

Adora cut her off. “No, sleep when you need to. If you go without sleep you’ll just raise the possibility of overlooking something important.” She looked over at Catra, who nodded in agreement.

“Adora’s right, Entrapta. No pushing yourself past the point of exhaustion. That’s an order.” Stepping close to Entrapta again, she added in a whisper, “Promise me you won’t blame yourself for this.”

Entrapta gave a salute with both hand and hair and stepped back. “You’ve got it, Commander. Now shoo! I’ve got work to do! Tell Rogelio that he’s in charge of the infirmary, okay?”

Catra seemed surprised. “Really? You think he’s ready for that kind of responsibility?”

“Commander, he was almost running the Horde medical wing by the time we left.”

“Must’ve been a Scorpia thing…” Catra muttered, half to herself. “Well, okay then. I’ll let him know. I’ll send Scorpia by later today to make sure you’re eating, alright? And contact us as soon as you’ve got something!” She turned to Adora. “Come on, I’ll take you back to my room. You look like you could probably use some rest.”

Adora nodded gratefully and the two left with Catra supporting Adora. 

“Thanks.” Adora said, as they made their way down the hallway. “That stuff takes it out of me.”

“Least I can do,” Catra grunted, something else clearly on her mind, “it’s my fault you’re in this mess.”

“It’s hardly your fault that we wandered into a trap, Catra.” Adora said, snorting.

“Hmm.” Catra said, clearly not convinced, but also clearly not willing to argue at the moment. Instead, she changed the subject. “How long do you think you can stay? I don’t want your friends to worry.”

“I’ll call Swift Wind back and ask how they’re doing, but probably… probably not for more than a few more days.” Adora said, clearly unhappy at the fact. “The only problem is that if Entrapta hasn’t figured it out by then…”

“If she hasn’t figured it out, we’ll contact you as soon as she does. We…” Catra coughed, a little embarrassed, “er, we have some people in Brightmoon that can reach you. Actually, we were originally going to send some people with you.”

“Oh?”

Catra looked even more embarrassed. “Well, more accurately, I was going to try to convince you to let us send some people with you.” 

Adora smirked. “I’m sure you had a plan on how to persuade me and everything, huh?”

“Nah, I was gonna just seduce you.” Catra said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

That earned her an amused snort from Adora. “Well,” she said, pulling Catra in close and running her tongue over her lips in a quick motion that Catra did not fail to notice, “mission accomplished, Commander.” 

Catra wasn’t sure exactly what she’d done to be so lucky as to have Adora kissing her, but she decided that it didn’t matter that much. A rumbling purr escaped her throat and her tail wrapped around Adora’s waist possessively. Adora’s sense of timing had been good - the door to Catra’s room was right next to her, and she quickly fumbled it open and pulled Catra back into the room with her. Catra pulled back for a moment, thinking about how she had work to do, she needed to talk to Rogelio, she needed to review the latest intel reports, she needed - but then Adora’s hands were hot on her skin, pulling her shirt up and over her head, and her mouth was on her chest, and Catra stopped thinking about anything for a while.

“Don’t - don’t you need rest?” she finally managed to say, pinned against the wall with one leg hitched around Adora’s waist. 

“I have to give you up in three days,” Adora said with a growl, “I can sleep later.” As if to emphasize her point, Catra suddenly felt the muscles in Adora’s back and arms flex, and quite suddenly she was lifted off the ground. Almost instinctively, Catra’s other leg came up to join the first around Adora’s waist as she slowly and steadily marched to the bed and lay her down. Catra’s back hit the mattress with a whump and Adora followed her down, pulling back only to shuck her top and toss it carelessly to the side. Catra’s metal hand hesitantly ran up Adora’s side, and Adora let out a gasp at the cool metal on her skin.

Catra recoiled. “Sorry, I-”

“No, I uh,” Adora’s eyes were blown wide and her skin was covered in goosebumps, “do it again.”

Catra’s eye widened. “Oh.  _ Oh _ . Okay.” Her hand came up again, as gently as she could manage, and traced the outline of Adora’s breast. She sat up to get better access, leaving Adora on her lap.

Adora hissed and pressed into the touch, which only encouraged Catra. “Please,” Adora said, panting now, “please don’t stop.” 

Catra obliged, running her hand over and, eventually, down. Judging from the way Adora reacted, this had been a good idea. It didn’t take long. Perhaps emboldened by this display, just as Catra felt Adora begin to tense up, she bit down on her shoulder, hard. Adora’s climax was loud enough that, a hazy part of Catra’s brain supplied, it was probably for the best that it was mid-afternoon and the barracks were relatively deserted. Catra gently held Adora as she shuddered and twitched through the aftermath and was rewarded for her efforts by a sloppy kiss that quickly turned into yet another heated exchange. Adora pinned Catra’s arms lightly over her head, and Catra felt her heart rate and breathing quicken as a sudden spike of fear shot through her.

Adora reacted immediately. She let go of Catra’s wrists and pulled her into a gentle embrace. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Catra shuddered against her and took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I’m… It’s fine.” She was crying, she realized. There was a spike of anger. “It’s not fair.” She said, fiercely. “It’s not fair that this is still…that  _ she still _ -”

“Shh,” Adora hushed, “She’s not here. You survived. Remember that. You’ll keep surviving.”

Catra felt herself relax, slowly but surely. “Sorry,” she said, quietly, “I guess I ruined the mood.”

Adora laughed. “We’ve got some time.”

Catra glanced at a clock on the wall and sighed. “Not enough, unfortunately for me. I’ve got work to do.”

Adora pouted and pressed a kiss to Catra’s collarbone. “Damn you and your responsible mind.”

Catra’s discipline was stretched to its limit and she groaned. “Ugh, I know. I’d love to just… stay here, but  _ apparently _ I’ve got an army of mercenaries to help run.”

“Well,” Adora said, tracing patterns up and down Catra’s back and looking at her with a soft smile, “when you need a break, you know where I’ll be.”

Catra drew Adora in for a kiss. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to take you up on the offer.” 

“Good.” Adora said, and then seemed to remember that she was currently sitting on Catra. “I’ll just… get off you so you can get back to it.” 

“Wish you were  _ getting  _ me off.” Catra muttered, half to herself as she stood up on shaky legs and went looking for her shirt and then, after considering for a moment, found a fresh pair of pants as well.

Adora snorted with laughter and nearly fell off the bed. “Come back soon and I’ll see what I can do.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Catra said, smiling. 

Adora laughed again and fell back on the bed as the morning’s exertions suddenly caught up to her. By the time Catra finished putting herself back together, Adora had fallen asleep. Catra tiptoed over and placed a kiss on her cheek before heading for her office. 

Entrapta was waiting for her. “Commander! How’s Adora?”

“Resting.” Catra said. “Have you figured something out already?” 

“Well, yes and no.” Entrapta said, her hair making a so-so motion. “The energy readings - they’re tailored to Adora’s genetic signature.”

Catra’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“Oh, a genetic signature is… it’s something that makes up who you are. It’s completely unique to every person.”

“So the energy was meant to disable Adora from the start?” Catra asked.

“That’s the thing. I think the energy would’ve hurt anyone, but the effect it’s having on Adora’s transformations was built in. It’s inherent to the nature of the energy.”

“Can you fix it?” Catra asked.

Entrapta shrugged. “Well, maybe. I took a sample of Adora’s genetic signature earlier, and with a clean sample of it I might be able to work up some kind of countermeasure to neutralize the interference. That’s not what I came here to tell you, though.”

Catra was confused. “No?”

“No. See, the Horde couldn’t have made this without access to Adora’s genetic code.” Entrapta said, shifting nervously. “And if I had to guess… they’ve only developed this recently, because Hordak never mentioned anything about this when I was… when we were working together.”

“So the Horde had her genetic code?” Catra said. “That’s not too surprising. They probably have everyone’s, right?”

“Most likely - but they’d need a constant supply if they were developing something like this. Any testing would destroy the sample.” 

Catra felt a chill run over her body. “A constant supply?”

“From a living being, most likely.” 

“But Adora was… she was only captive for a few days. And they already had this ready when they caught her.”

“Yes.” Entrapta said, looking nervous. “Do you remember what I told you about Hordak? About who he was?”

“A clone of Hordak Prime.” Catra said, nodding. There was a sickening moment of realization. “You can’t mean -”

Entrapta slid a file across the desk. “When I was leaving, I grabbed a bunch of files related to my projects. This one isn’t one of mine, but it seemed important so I grabbed it too. I never got a chance to look at it, what with everything going on, but while I was looking for any notes on the energy readings, I went back to look at it.”

“‘The Children of War?’” Catra flipped the file open and felt her stomach fall through the floor. “This can’t be. This  _ can’t _ be. I should have noticed this. How did I never see this?”

“The project started up just after you became Force Captain.” Entrapta explained, “And given… well, given the subject and your relation to it, I find it easy to believe Hordak wanted it kept from you.”

“She’s doing it again.” Catra said, her voice shaking. “She’s  _ doing it again _ .” Her metal fist slammed on the desk, leaving a dent in the surface. “Get Scorpia in here. I need to… fuck, how do I tell Adora about this?”

“Well…” Entrapta said, a little hesitantly, “occasionally in order to keep someone from being hurt, you have to keep information from them. This… could be one of those situations. At least until we’re sure.”

Catra was standing up. She didn’t remember standing up, but she grabbed Entrapta by the shirt and drew her in close, snarling. “ _ No _ . I’m not going to keep this from her. I  _ can’t _ keep this from her, do you understand? I just… we  _ just _ ….” 

Entrapta raised her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, Commander. I only thought-”

Catra seemed to realize what she was doing and let go. She stepped back and composed herself. “No, Entrapta, I’m sorry. You’re just looking out for me, I know.” She took a deep breath, and continued, “But I won’t keep this from Adora. I know it’s probably not the correct decision, but I have to let her know. Would you please send Scorpia here, and… and return to working on the energy interference. Let Adora know if you need her for any further tests.”

“Should I tell her?” Entrapta asked, hesitantly. “Er, about the project?” 

“No,” Catra said, firmly. “I’ll tell her myself later. I just need some time to process it myself, first.” She placed a shaking hand on Entrapta’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thank you. For telling me.”

“You’re the Commander.” Entrapta said, simply. “And you’re my friend. I don’t like keeping secrets from my friends.”

“Isn’t Adora your friend too?” Catra asked.

“Adora and I have barely talked in years.” Entrapta said, shrugging. “The data doesn’t support us being friends anymore. Maybe we will be again sometime soon, but right now I wouldn’t feel bad about keeping this from her.” She saluted smartly. “It’s up to you, Commander. I’ll get Scorpia.”

Catra nodded, her gaze drawn back to the file on her desk. She didn’t even notice Entrapta leave, and collapsed into her chair, looking at the attached pictures in the file. Two young girls, one with short blonde hair scowling into the camera, the other all fangs and fur, captured hissing at whomever had taken the photo. 

Her hand tightened into a fist.  _ Not this time,  _ she thought fiercely to herself,  _ I won’t let you do this to us this time. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will now declare myself Nostradamus, as at the very least I got the part about Catra making her own little army right in Season 3 (even if they didn't last too long and got pretty quickly brought into the Horde, I'm fucking _counting it_ , okay). Am I also going to draw on some of the additional insights into Catra's mind and use them in this? Well, judge for yourself, since I basically flavored some of Catra's internal monologue with that here.
> 
> Damn Season 3 was _good_ though, huh?
> 
> Damn I really went full les enfents terribles, huh? Full disclosure: I'd already decided I was going to do something to mirror the Eli arc from MGSV before watching season 3, and then they went and gave me cloning facilities! They just _handed that shit over_ like "hey here you go, here's a big old plot thing for you" and now here we are. Shit got METAL GEAR up ins, and I shan't apologize for it.
> 
> Next chapter, I'm afraid, is going to be a rough one. Sorry in advance?


	25. Reaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora deals with the news. Scorpia helps. Catra makes her intentions clearer.

Adora stared at Catra as if she’d just been told Etheria wasn’t real and was, in fact, created to sell toys to impressionable youngsters. “Run that by me one more time?” 

Catra looked at Adora with concern in her eye. “I know, I didn’t believe it either. But it’s true. They cloned you. Me.  _ Us _ . Some kind of back-up plan of Shadow Weaver’s, in case… well, in case you defected or died, I assume.”

“That… that can’t be true.” Adora felt like the ground had become unsteady. “If they were doing this before I even left, that means…” Her voice sank to a whisper. “They knew. They knew all along who I was. Shadow Weaver  _ knew _ .” She was shaking. “They planned all of this.  _ Everything.  _ I never had a chance. I never had a  _ choice _ .”

The look of concern in Catra’s eye only grew. “Adora, listen, I know…” She shook her head. “No, I guess I don’t, huh? The whole destiny thing has always been your deal.”

“Except,” Adora said, giving Catra a strange look, “they cloned you too.”

“Typical Horde thinking,” Catra said with a shrug, “go with the strategy that works. I was only ever a means to an end - a way to control you. Maybe they’ll treat clone me a little nicer, make sure there’s less resentment.”

Adora didn’t feel so sure, but she shoved the thought to the back of her mind as there was a bigger problem. “We have to save them. We can’t -  _ I _ _can’t_ \- let another you go through this.” She met Catra’s somewhat surprised look with a pang of guilt. “I fucked this up once already.”

Catra reached out, then, and grabbed Adora’s hand to ground her. “Hey, I forgave you for all that, remember? And don’t worry - the intel team’s already working to find their location. We’ll get them out no matter the cost.”

Adora looked at Catra then, looked at the expression of stone-cold certainty on her face, and let herself believe it. The decision was easy to make, then. “As soon as you find them, I need to know. I’m coming with you.”

“Don’t worry.” Catra said, with a reassuring grin, “I think if I’m going to have to go in and potentially face down Shadow Weaver again, I’d like to have you by my side. Come on, we’ll do some training. Get your mind off this for a bit.”

Something in the way she said the last sentence made it clear to Adora that Catra needed the distraction as much as she did, so she nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Eventually, Catra had to stop training and vanished to take care of some more daily operations, leaving Adora on her own. She spent another hour practicing shooting with the rifles favored by Catra’s troops, letting the noise of gunfire drown out the thoughts that kept threatening to pull her under. No matter what she did, however, she kept circling back to one thought.

_ I never had a choice _ . 

She focused on the target, pulled the trigger.

_ They knew the whole time who I was. _

The texture of the gun’s grip dug into her hand as she gripped it tighter.

_ They knew the Sword would find me. _

She focused on the weight of the rifle, her arms steady and sure.

_ Why didn’t they tell me? _

There was a *ping* as her shot went slightly wide. She paused, refocused. Breathed.

_ They used Catra to try to control me _ .

Target. Breathe. Trigger.

_ They hurt her because they knew it would control me. _

Her sight blurred and she shook her head to clear it. Another shot.

_ They hurt her and I left her anyway. _

She angrily wiped her eyes. Refocused. Breathed. 

_ Why her? Why me? What connection did they see between us? _

Target. Trigger.

_ If they’d never brought me here, would she have been better off?  _

The next trigger pull only resulted in a dry click. Adora dropped the rifle and went to look for more ammunition, almost running directly into Scorpia.

“Hi Adora! I think you’ve probably done enough shooting for one day, don’t you?”

Adora barely noticed her. “I’m…” she started to say, and then, impulsively grabbed Scorpia’s shirt and looked at her pleadingly. “I’ve destroyed so many lives just by  _ being here _ . If I’d never been found, everything would have been better off. Catra would have been better off.”

Scorpia gingerly placed a claw on Adora’s shoulder. “Oh no, Adora. Not at all.” 

Adora could feel herself starting to break down. It was too much. There was too much going on, she couldn’t transform, she wasn’t even sure she  _ wanted _ to be able to transform anymore, she had Catra again, somehow, there was  _ another her _ , and her entire life seemed to have been planned out by forces beyond her control. 

Scorpia wrapped Adora up in a hug, making an occasional shushing noise. After a few minutes, she spoke up thoughtfully. “You know, if it wasn’t for you putting the Princess Alliance back together, I don’t think I’d ever have met Entrapta. Which,” she hastily added, “I know only happened because you guys thought she was dead, and Catra lied to her about you abandoning her, and it was… you know, it was bad, really, like, a lot of people got hurt, and we tried to hurt you, and you tried to hurt us… but _I met Entrapta!_ ” She laughed, almost as if she still found the event miraculous. “So sure, there’s been a lot of bad stuff. But there’s good stuff too, and I don’t think anyone would trade the good stuff for anything.”

“But what if it could have been better without me?” Adora said, hopelessly. “What if-”

“Adora,” Scorpia said, patiently, “it doesn’t matter what if. There’s no changing the past, but we can influence the future.”

_ But my future’s been determined for me _ , Adora thought.  _ It’s my destiny to be She-Ra and either restore balance or go mad like they claim Mara did _ . She sighed.  _ I guess you can at least stop another you from going through the same thing _ . That thought made her feel slightly better. “Thanks, Scorpia.”

“Hey, any time. I know we’ve been on opposite sides for  most of this, but you were always pretty okay in my book. I’m glad we can be friends now!”

Adora couldn’t help but grin at Scorpia’s declaration. “Yeah, me too.”

That seemed to please Scorpia, and she beamed. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. You’ve been out here long enough.”

The mess hall was full, as for once Adora was eating at a regular meal time. She looked around for Catra, and was disappointed not to see her. Scorpia noticed, and explained it was because Catra was meeting with some of the intel team to discuss what she referred to as ‘that whole uh, you know, situation.’

“How much of a chance do they have of finding them? I mean, if Hordak managed to keep them hidden from Catra this whole time…”

Scorpia shrugged apologetically. “Honestly? No idea. It helps that we have a project name to look out for, but it’s likely there’s only a few people involved with it. That means we need to find out who those people are before we can think about getting information out of them. We’ve got a pretty large presence in the Horde, but even so…”

Adora sighed. “I was afraid of that. Maybe I can have the Rebellion look into it too - except then I’ll have to explain how I know about it…”

“Don’t worry about that,” Scorpia said, waving a claw dismissively, “we can give you a cover story that’s close enough to the truth so you won’t be  _ completely _ lying.”

“I can’t  _ lie _ ,” Adora insisted, “I’m terrible at it.”

“On that,” Catra’s voice interrupted, “we’re in total agreement.”

The way in which Adora so visibly perked up at Catra’s voice made Scorpia smile. “Catra! Hey!” 

Catra draped herself over Adora’s back and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Adora. How’re you feeling?”

Adora attempted to arrange her features into something that seemed, if not  _ completely _ okay, at least in the neighborhood of okay. “I’ve been better,” she admitted, “but I think I just need some time to process everything.”

“Yeah,” Catra said, sitting down next to her, “I think that’s about where I am. Our people are looking into it now, it’s just a matter of time.”

Adora didn’t seem to be particularly reassured. “I was talking to Scorpia about maybe having the Rebellion’s resources look for info on it too before you got here. Do you think that would help?”

Catra hummed thoughtfully. “Well, it certainly couldn’t hurt to have more people looking. My only concern is if the Horde catches wind that we’re looking for them they’ll set another trap - or worse.”

Adora’s teeth ground together audibly. “They’d better not. I’ll rip the whole place down with my bare hands.”

“You’d have to race me.” Catra said with a grim chuckle. “Fortunately for both of us, I don’t think that’s likely. Hordak’s a lot of things, most of them bad, but he’s also not one for wasting resources.”

“And that’s what the…” Adora struggled visibly for a moment, “what  _ we _ are to him, right?”

“That’s what  _ you _ are.” Catra corrected, an old bitterness creeping into her tone. “ _ I _ , clearly, was not.” At Adora’s wince, she hastened to add, “Then again, they do seem to have thought to keep a spare of both of us around. That counts for something.”

“I’m sorry.” Adora said, quietly miserable. “It seems like all I do is make things worse for people.” 

“What,” Catra replied, “just because I caught hell from Shadow Weaver to keep you in line? Adora, I would have gone through worse for you in those days. I still would.”

“But you should never have  _ had _ to.” Adora insisted. “If I’d never been found, you could have -”

“If you’d never been found I would have died as a cadet.” Catra said, bluntly. “You think the others would have put up with me if you hadn’t been around to glare them into submission? Or that Shadow Weaver wouldn’t have killed me if it wasn’t so obvious you were motivated by my continued existence? Look, I didn’t have the best childhood, but the good parts of it? Those were the parts with  _ you _ . I wouldn’t give them up for anything, got it?”

There was an audible sniff from Scorpia. “Sorry,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye, “I’m just… not used to the Commander being so emotionally honest.”

Adora seemed to have forgotten they weren’t alone for a second, because her reaction was to jump in her seat, but she recovered quickly and laughed. “I don’t know if I am either.”

“Yeah well don’t get too used to it.” Catra said, grumbling a little. “If I’d known it was going to get me nothing but sass I would’ve kept it to myself.” A few of the soldiers looked over in surprise as laughter echoed through the canteen.

Later that evening, Catra perched on the end of the bed, watching Adora carefully as she prepared for bed. Adora moved slowly, deliberately, falling back into the routine drilled into her as a Horde cadet. It was obvious - to Catra, at least - that in spite of how she’d come alive a little in the canteen, she was still deeply troubled. 

“You know I meant what I said earlier.” Catra said, quietly.

It took a moment for Adora to come back from wherever her mind had wandered off to, and she looked up at Catra. “I know. I just wish… I wish we’d had a choice in  _ any _ of this.”

“We did.” Catra said, firmly. “Look, you chose to leave - you  _ did _ ,” she insisted as Adora opened her mouth to protest, “and I  _ chose _ to stay. It wasn’t the right choice, maybe, but it was  _ my choice _ . Everything that’s happened since then has been under your own steam, prophecies and destiny and whatever be damned. It’s still been  _ your choice _ , all along. And for what it’s worth?” Catra reached up and undid the straps holding her prosthetic, letting it fall to the ground, “This was my choice too and I would do it all again if it meant we ended up here together.”

At some point, Catra had stood up off the bed and put her good hand on Adora’s shoulder. Her other arm was wrapped around the back of Adora’s neck, and Catra stared fiercely into Adora’s eyes. “We’re going to find those kids, Adora, and we’re going to give them the same choice we had - more of a choice than we had. I’m going to give them an opportunity to get away from the war and grow up like normal fucking kids, whatever those are. Then we’re going to figure out a way to end this war, and I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and ride off into the fucking sunset, to a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and we’re going to live in something like peace. I’m going to walk away from all of this, if I can.”

Catra was breathing hard, and her eye widened in surprise at what she’d just said. She stepped back suddenly, breaking contact with Adora. “I - I’m sorry. I know you can’t-”

Adora’s mouth was suddenly on hers, kissing her fiercely. After a moment, Adora pulled back and looked Catra in the eye. “It’s my choice to make, isn’t it?” She asked, a smile on her face. “I said I wanted to go off somewhere alone with you first, anyway.”

“Yeah.” Catra said, the memory of their earlier conversation coming back to her. “Yeah, you did. But I mean it, Adora. I’ll need to leave it all behind when it’s over. I’ve done too much to too many people. I’m already a demon. The world won’t have a place for people like me.”

“Your place is with me.” Adora said, with an equal firmness. “And my place is with you. Wherever that is, we’ll go there together.”

Later, Adora would catch herself wondering if they’d ever stood a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took its sweet time didn't it? Apologies, August was a Dark Time for your old Skeleton chum, because, well, brains are weird. We got there in the end though, and in the interim I even wrote some [other nonsense](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342104) (partially to work through something of an existential crisis, partially because I found myself with an appetite for weird shit because I've been playing Control) which if you really feel like it, you can read - just bear in mind it is very much Not This, and proceed accordingly.
> 
> Thanks for your patience, I don't _think_ we'll have that long a gap until the next chapter's ready - something about the fall always puts me in the mood to mess around in Metal Gear Solid again, so my mind will be in the right spot for this stuff again. Alas! I fear we'll have to bid farewell to the vaguely domestic fluff soon.


	26. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora returns. Bow and Glimmer get brought up to speed. Sort of.

“Adora! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Glimmer threw her arms around Adora’s neck. “We’ve been so  _ worried _ , I should have come back sooner, I’m-”

“Hey, hey,” Adora said, sniffing back a tear and patting Glimmer’s back, “you did what you had to. I knew what I was getting myself into, promise.”

“Also Swift Wind, so glad to see you, so glad you let us know Adora was okay!” Swift Wind said, reminding everyone he was there.

Glimmer hiccuped and laughed. “Yes, Swift Wind, but I haven’t seen Adora in…”

“A week.” Adora said. “Feels like it’s been a lot longer than that, honestly.” 

Glimmer stepped back and gave Adora a serious once-over. “Looks like you had the chance to heal a little, at any rate. How bad was it?” She winced. “Wait, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”

“What Glimmer’s saying,” Bow said with a wry grin that masked his relief at seeing Adora again, “is that we’ve been very worried about you, and we’re glad you’re okay.” He hugged Adora and she could tell he was trying not to cry. 

“It’s okay, Bow.” Adora said. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Just about healed,” Bow replied. “Castaspella sent some healers from Mystacor to support us after the attack.”

Adora was visibly surprised. “Breaking neutrality again? I thought they’d written us off.”

Glimmer looks a little defensive. “She was just being cautious. The last time they openly helped us the Horde nearly found them. They lost a lot of people.”

“I know,” Adora said, not wanting to fight. “I’m just glad they reconsidered.”

“At any rate,” Bow said, playing peacemaker, “the point is they were able to undo most of the damage. I’ve got to do some strengthening exercises to get it back to 100%, but at least I’m not stuck in a sling - and I can fight, if we need to.”

“Which hopefully we won’t.” Glimmer added. “Our scouts have reported the Horde’s sent out search parties looking for you, but they don’t appear to be interested in re-taking territory for the moment. They’re still biding their time for… something.”

Adora’s heart sank. “Yeah, I’m afraid I’ve got a few ideas on what that is.” She sighed deeply. “Catra’s replacement is Shadow Weaver. I don’t know how she got back into Hordak’s good graces, but…” 

The look of concern on Glimmer’s face said it all. “Are you sure?”

“They told me as much, when I was…” Pain flitted across Adora’s face against her will. “In their company.” she finally said. “They told me part of the reason they moved so quickly to get me out was because she was on her way to ‘collect’ me herself.”

“‘They?’”

“The Horde defectors who set me free.” Adora said, “and took care of me until Swift Wind was able to get the Sword to me.”

“Oh right.” Glimmer said, and then frowned. “Where are they now?” 

“Well,” Adora said, “they don’t have a flying horse. So they’re still a few days out. After… the other trouble, they decided it was best if I got back as soon as possible.”

“What ‘other trouble?’” Bow asked, sounding worried. “Other trouble sounds… bad.”

“It’s probably better if I show you.” Adora said with a sigh. “But not out here. If your mom doesn’t mind waiting, Glimmer, can I head to my room first? Maybe freshen up a bit?”

“She can wait.” Glimmer said, forcefully. “If you need to rest, she’ll understand.”

“Okay.” Adora said, grabbing the sword off Swift Wind’s back. She gave him an affectionate pat on the snout. “Thanks for the ride, Swifty. You mind letting my rescuers know I got back safe?”

“Can I rest first?” Swift Wind said, a little annoyed. “You’re not exactly  _ light cargo _ , Adora.”

Both Glimmer and Bow burst out laughing, while Adora spluttered. “Of course! There’s no rush. I didn’t mean you had to go right now.”

“Good. Because I wouldn’t go right now. I’m tired.” Swift Wind huffed, before nuzzling Adora. “Call me if you need me.”

Adora gave Swift Wind’s snout an affectionate pat. “Will do, Swifty.”

Glimmer and Bow both followed behind Adora as she headed for her room. Adora closed the door and took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally. She’d had a lot of practice the last two days before leaving Catra and the others, but she knew it was going to hurt. 

“Okay,” Adora said, “just brace yourselves, and believe me when I say that I’ll be fine and you shouldn’t panic.  _ Promise me _ , okay?”

Worried looks crossed both her friends’ faces, but they nodded uneasily. Adora lifted the sword, said the words, and fought back the urge to scream as pain lanced through her. She held it for as long as she dared, then shifted back and collapsed on the floor. When she regained consciousness, she was on her bed and Glimmer was looking worriedly down at her. 

“How long was I out?” Adora groaned. 

Bow appeared in her field of view. “About five minutes, I think.”

Adora sighed and, with a little difficulty, levered herself into a sitting position. “Hmm, a new record. I think I must be getting used to it.”

Glimmer put a hesitant hand on Adora’s arm. “It’s… it’s like what happened to me, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Adora sighed. “It’s some kind of… magical interference, I guess. Some spell devised by Shadow Weaver, maybe, but I don’t know for certain. I need to see Light Hope and see if she can provide insight.” 

This was  _ partially _ true - Light Hope would in fact be able to provide some insight, as far as they knew - but then again Adora already knew what the problem was, and had someone working on a solution. It was just a matter of time, which was the only reason Adora felt even slightly comfortable keeping things from her friends. That, and she knew that Bow and Glimmer told each other everything - and Glimmer was maybe worse at lying to her mother than Adora was at lying to anyone.

The look on her face must have shown her frustration, because Glimmer immediately reassured her, “We’ll get through this Adora. I was able to get my powers back, and you’ve come so far since then! We’ll get through this no problem.”

Adora sighed. “I know, Glimmer. I just don’t like having She-Ra sealed off.” This was  _ also _ partially true. If Adora was honest, she liked the idea, at least, of having an excuse for doing more training without the Sword of Protection - and for getting the Princess Alliance to maybe rely a little less on She-Ra. 

Which was selfish of her, and went against so much of what she’d grown up believing - but then she thought about walking away from everything with Catra, and how they aren’t able to do that because of…  _ everything _ , and she started thinking that weaning the Princess Alliance off of She-Ra might not be the worst idea in the world. She found herself wishing - not for the first time - that Mara had kept a journal or something for her to find. Mara’s current reputation as a monster notwithstanding, Adora felt Mara was the only one who really would understand the pressures of being She-Ra - that, and she had long had doubts as to the accuracy of Light Hope’s explanation of events. That, however, was a conversation for another time entirely. Right now Glimmer was busy fretting, and Adora was too tired to really engage that much.

“ - we can call down Mermista and Perfuma to pick up any slack while She-Ra’s out of commision. Plus I found some of my Dad’s journals on magic in the library and I’ve been working on learning more about it so, you know, it’s no big deal! It’ll be  _ fine _ .” Glimmer was pacing back and forth.

Adora held out a hand to block Glimmer from walking back in front of her. “You’re right. It  _ will _ be fine. You guys are strong enough to handle things without She-Ra - and I’m no worse for the wear otherwise, so it’s not like I won’t be able to help in a fight. The magic was able to heal me, at least.”

“What if we asked the healers from Mystacor to take a look at you?” Bow suggested. “They might know of a way to undo whatever Shadow Weaver’s creepy magic did.” 

“Sure, it’s worth a shot.” Adora said, shrugging. “It would be nice to be able to transform and not pass out afterwards.”

Glimmer looked like she wasn’t sure whether or not Adora was being serious. “I’ll reach out to my aunt, then. Make the necessary arrangements.” She put a reassuring hand on Adora’s shoulder. “Grab some rest and a shower - I’m sure it’s been a while.”

Adora winced at the comment. She was wearing her old, bloodied clothes again - and she had spent the morning before leaving the base essentially rolling around in dirt to make it seem like she’d been trudging through the woods for days. It was something Catra had suggested - and it seemed to have done the trick.

Glimmer seemed to think Adora’s reaction was embarrassment, and quickly added, “Not that you uh, you don’t smell  _ that _ bad!” 

“Yeah I do.” Adora said, laughing. “I’ll grab a shower before I face down your mom.”

“Hey, I was serious, Adora. She can wait until tomorrow if you want.”

“No,” Adora said, feeling suddenly very tired, “might as well get it over with. Better she sees I’m okay with her own eyes and gets the news about Shadow Weaver direct from me anyway, right? Just give me some time to get cleaned up.”

Glimmer nodded. “Of course. We’ll give you some privacy.” She began ushering Bow out of the room. “Drop by my room when you’re ready to go.” She paused, and then teleported over to Adora and hugged her again and whispered. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.” With a flash, she disappeared, leaving Adora alone.

She sighed and stripped off her old clothes. To her credit, she made it all the way to the shower before the stress of leaving Catra and lying to her friends caught up with her and her body started shaking uncontrollably. She leaned against the wall for support and, not for the first time, let the noise and sensation of the water drown out thought. She dressed shakily in clean gear, then made her way to Glimmer’s room. 

Adora’s breakdown in the shower seemed like it was obvious to Glimmer, as she gave Adora a long look when she opened her door. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Yeah.” Adora swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

There was relief on Angella’s face when Adora stepped into the throne room. “Adora! I’m glad to see you safe.” She smiled, a little wryly. “You’re making a habit of worrying us, it would seem.”

In spite of her nervousness, Adora laughed. “My apologies, Your Highness. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“You made a noble sacrifice.” Angella said, firmly. “You saved my daughter. That alone more than makes up for a little worry.”

Adora sighed. “I only wish I were coming back with better news. During my captivity, I learned a few things: namely, that Shadow Weaver has taken over as Force Commander in the wake of Catra’s…” she swallowed, “loss.”

A troubled look crossed Angella’s features. “That  _ is _ bad news. That she managed to work her way back into Hordak’s good graces alone is a sign of how dangerous she can be.”

“That’s… not all.” Adora said, looking sideways at Glimmer. “She’s found some way to transfer her powers to Horde soldiers. It’s how they managed to ambush us in the forest.” She turned to Glimmer. “That mist that came in - it was Shadow Weaver’s magic. The defectors who rescued me confirmed it. There’s some specialized training program she started up, and those soldiers are apparently the product of it.”

“Is this related to the plans you brought back to us earlier? The anti-magic technology?”

Adora shook her head. “No, I believe this is a separate initiative. Shadow Weaver’s magic has also been…  _ adapted _ to their interrogation equipment. I experienced that first-hand.”

There was compassion in Angella’s eyes. “Oh, Adora. I’m so sorry we couldn’t get to you more quickly.”

“There’s one more thing.” Adora said, brushing by Angella’s expression of pity for the moment. “Something about Shadow Weaver’s magic is blocking my access to She-Ra. I was able to heal the worst of my injuries, but… I can’t maintain the form.”

“We’ll have Castaspella look into it.” Angella said decisively.

“Ahead of you there, mom.” Glimmer spoke up. “I’ve already sent word to her.”

Angella sat back on her throne, looking impressed. “Very good, Glimmer.” She looked to Adora. “These… Horde defectors who rescued you. Can we trust them? What are the odds this is some plot to infiltrate our ranks?”

Adora pretended to think for a moment before answering. “They saved me. Killed their former comrades to do it, too. I think it’s unlikely.”

Angella nodded and sank deep into thought. “Very well. When they arrive, assuming they arrive, we will extend them hospitality. Doubtless they have valuable intelligence on Horde activities we could use, and we owe them for saving your life at any rate.”

“Can I…” Adora hesitated. “Can I request one thing?” When Angella nodded, she continued. “When you talk to them - if the subject of Catra comes up... I’d rather not be around. I’ve had to hear it once. I don’t want to hear it again.”

The look of pity on Angella’s face sent a surge of guilt through Adora. “Of course. I’m sorry, Adora, I know you’ve been through a lot.”

Adora’s gut churned as she looked at the trusting face of her leader and thought about all the ways in which what she was doing counted as a gross betrayal of the Princess Alliance. “You don’t know the half of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was torn between spending more time with Adora and Catra, and getting things moving. I'm a monster at heart, so I obviously I decided to get things moving. We'll see how Catra's dealing with Adora's return to Bright Moon next chapter. 
> 
> Have I been playing Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker and MGSV (and also MGS3, a little, on my Vita) again recently? Look, _maybe_. Maybe I have a Sickness. You can let me know in the comments, or you can say nice things, or you can say nothing at all and just make vocalizations of dread when you think about what I might have planned! I won't tell you how to live your lives.

**Author's Note:**

> So uh, I guess I had another one of these in me after all.
> 
> This idea was heavily (and I mean like, _heavily_ ) influenced by two things: Metal Gear Solid V, and [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17355854). I uh, I'm not entirely sure where it'll end up going, but I have some notions. Unlike the last multi-part fic I did, I have no idea how long this one will be, and it's all hazy enough that updates will be much fewer and far between. Set your expectations accordingly, and don't forget that I warned you.


End file.
